Halliburton: FG To Rake In 225m Dollars

Published

16 years ago

December 27, 2010

The Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), has last Wednesday in Abuja said 225 million dollars would accrue to the country as settlement in the Halliburton scandal deal.

Adoke, also the Attorney General of the Federation, announced this while presenting the ministry’s score card to newsmen.

He said a total sum of 95 million dollars had been recovered from two out of the four multinational companies involved in the scandal.

Adoke said another tranche of money totalling 180 million dollars was held in banks in Geneva and Monaco.

“By the time we recover that sum and the remaining companies pay up their agreed dues, the country would have recovered 225 million dollars from the scandal,’’ he said.

The country entered into a plea bargain settlement with the foreign companies over the 21 million dollars bribe-for-contract scandal in Nigeria.

“The country’s image has nosedived because of the illegitimate transactions and we thought that jerking up the figure would make the companies suffer some measure of discomfort too.

“We had actually contemplated both criminal and civil charges against the perpetrators which could also have been grievous on them as well,” Adoke added.

The minister said out of the figure, Halliburton paid 35 million dollars while Panalpina, a division of Shell BP, paid 10 million dollars.

He stated that discussions had reached an advanced stage for the Japanese oil and gas company involved in the scandal to remit its money to the country.

On the activities of the ministry in the year under review, Adoke said the ministry had assigned N1.037 billion for its capital projects.

He said N2.7 billion was assigned for the decongestion of prisons across the country, adding that N2.8 billion was budgeted as solicitors’ fees.

The minister said N8.9 billion was budgeted to offset judgment debts in the outgoing year.

Adoke stated that these sums in addition to amounts appropriated for other programmes and projects were released in various percentages by the Budget Office in the course of the year.

“It is pertinent to acknowledge that these releases have largely been instrumental to the successes so far recorded by the ministry in the discharge of its statutory mandate,” he said.

Adoke also said that the Department of Public Prosecution handled a total of 453 cases.

He said the Legal Aid Council received 2,539 requests for legal aid, saying that out of the figure, 2,116 were in relation to criminal matters while 423 were in respect of civil matters.

Adoke stated that the Council with the ministry’s assistance was able to mediate and complete 1,631 out of the entire request.

The minister, however, said that the legal officers in the federal public service required a special salary scale to improve their output.

FG Approves 4 New Channel Management Firms For Seaports

Published

20 minutes ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved four new channel management companies for seaports across the country in a move aimed at improving vessel navigation and port operations.

Speaking at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), former General Manager, Marine and Operations, Capt. Ebubeogu Ihenacho, disclosed that there would be changes in the ownership of the Lagos Channel Management Company Limited and the Bonny Channel Management Company.

According to Ihenacho, the four channels serving Nigeria’s major port clusters will have different channel management companies as approved by the FEC.

He said a new company had been approved to manage the Lagos port channel, with a change of name, while the Calabar Channel would be managed by the Calabar Channel Management Company.

He added that Bonny Channel Management Company had also undergone a change of ownership.

On the Warri Channel, Ihenacho said the Federal Government had approved China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and two other companies to form a consortium to manage the Escravos Channel.

He said: “For Warri, it was approved for China Harbour Engineering Company, CHEC, and two other companies, who would now form a consortium.

That consortium will now form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with the Nigerian Ports Authority to manage the Escravos Channel.”

Recall that the management of the NPA had declined to renew the concessions of the Lagos Channel Management Company Limited and the Bonny Channel Management Company, opting instead for six-month extensions of the existing arrangements.

By; Enoch Epelle

Business

RIRS Warns Against Unauthorised Tax Collection

Published

22 minutes ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) has warned motorists, transport operators and business owners against paying taxes, levies or charges to Unauthorised persons and organisations, insisting that only the Service and its duly appointed agents are legally empowered to collect taxes on behalf of the state government.

The Service gave the warning in a public notice dated October 21, 2026, signed by its Executive Chairman, Sir Israel O. Egbunefu, FCTI, in which it clarified that the Rivers State Ministry of Transport was not authorised by the state government to collect road tax or any other tax, levy or charge from motorists and transport operators.

RIRS also specifically disowned Explore Strategic Alliance Ltd, located at No. 7 Rumuodaolu Market Road, Port Harcourt, declaring the company had not been appointed or authorised by either the state government or the Service to collect Motor Vehicle Transport (MOT) tickets or any other tax on its behalf.

The revenue agency consequently cautioned members of the public against making payments to the company or any of its staff, stressing that anyone who ignored the warning would do so at their own risk.

It reaffirmed that only the legally authorised agency responsible for tax collection in Rivers State and the appointed agents that would carry out such duties in accordance with the law.

The Service urged taxpayers to demand official identification from anyone claiming to be its tax agent and verify the person’s credentials directly with RIRS before making payments.

It further warned that individuals or groups found impersonating tax consultants, agents or their representatives to collect Unauthorised taxes would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

RIRS also called on members of the public to report suspicious persons and activities relating to Unauthorised tax collection to the Service for appropriate action.

The agency advised taxpayers seeking clarification or assistance to visit any of its offices or contact it through its official email address, info@riversbirs.gov.ng.

The Service reiterated its commitment to protecting taxpayers, promoting voluntary compliance and safeguarding the integrity of tax administration in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

Bayelsa consumers Groan Over Inflation As Traders Remain Helpless Over Low Patronage

Published

50 minutes ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

Consumers and traders at the Swali ultramodern market in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State have continued to groan over high prices of commodities and poor Patronage due to cost-push inflation.

The Tide reports that in the past weeks prices of goods and services in Yenagoa metropolis has experienced increase.

Notable services like transportation have also increased lately due to increase in the pump price of fuel that has recently further exacerbated inflation in the prices of staple foods like rice, beans, garri and others.

Speaking with The Tide on a market survey, a trader, Mrs Tovie Barakabo said a bag of bean which sold between N120,000-N130, 000 now goes for N140,000-N145,000.

Mrs Barakabo also hinted that the only commodities whose price has not gone up was price of millet which sells N60,000, while big bag of garri now sells for N30,000.

The Tide further gathered from other inside Source that 25 litres of Kings cooking oil currently sells N75,000 as against the former price of N57,000.

Other commodities such as delicious vegetable oil now goes for N68,000, Pure vegetable oil currently goes for N66, 000, while spaghetti is now N18,800 per bag.

The market survey also discovered that Sonnia tomato mix sells N75,609, while a big and small basket of fresh tomatoes are sold for N30,000 and N6,500 respectively.

A disappointed custom, Mrs Juliet Domo who fielded questions from The Tide expressed her worries over the inflation, calling on government to take decisive stands against inflation.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa