News
‘Missing’ $20bn: Okonjo-Iweala Demands Forensic Audit
L-R: Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Wilson Ake and Rivers Commissioner for Works, Victor Giadom, chatting during a function at Erema in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers State, recently.
The Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has reiterated her call for an independent forensic audit into the documents submitted to the committee by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and certified by Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) over the missing $10.8billion oil revenue insisting that, such would ensure transparency and accountability in the management of government funds.
Speaking at the public hearing on the floor of the Senate, yesterday, Okonjo-Iweala said: “On the oil finances, what is being said here, it is made to look as if there is no accountability and that is not the case. For two steady years, Federal Allocation Committee meeting, the Ministry of Finance ensured that the accounts of the country are transparently laid and every commissioner knows the details, they have their folders.
“It is the result of the reconciliation that we arrived at $10.8billion that everybody is now talking about. When CBN spoke about $49.8billion, we were the first to say it is not correct. After that, it was proven that $49.8billion was not the right amount, the CBN had the courage to admit that it was actually $10.8billion, it was the process employed by the Ministry of Finance that brought that about.
“Without the steady work we have done to perfect the finances of this country, we won’t be talking about $10.8billion. The issue is that where is that money, how is it being accounted for, and we have led the process. We asked both the NNPC and the PPPRA to produce their documents, and they had produced certified copies for the $10.8billion, and we have asked for an independent audit. A lot of accusations are being made in this country, and the only way to be satisfied is to have an independent audit.”
However, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday insisted that the alleged missing $10.8 billion was prudently expended.
The NNPC forwarded documents meant to clarify how the money was spent, ostensibly to clear the air over the alleged missing $10.8billion oil revenue not remitted into the Federation Account between January 2012 and July 2013.
The public hearing was rescheduled last week to enable all parties submit all relevant documents to support their claims, after the PPPRA had submitted documents which certified spending and claims made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over the missing $10.8 billion crude oil fund.
PPPRA debunked the claims by the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that $20billion was diverted by the NNPC, insisting that all monies had duly been accounted for by the corporation.
The controversy started when the governor of the apex bank hinted that $49.8 billion crude oil proceeds was yet to be remitted to the coffers of the Federal Government by the NNPC.
The issue was reported for investigation on the floor of the Senate and consequent upon which the Senate Committee on Finance was mandated to carry out a thorough investigation into the claims made by Sanusi.
Earlier in the investigation, it was publicized that $49.8 billion was not the amount missing but $10.8 billion, following a series of reconciliation embarked upon by the NNPC, CBN and Finance Ministry.
However, at last week’s hearing, Sanusi again blew another whistle; that the missing amount is $20billion.
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Engr. Andrew Yakubu, in his response to the finance committee, submitted a breakdown of the $10.8 billion said to be missing.
Yakubu told the Senate Committee on Finance that “since January 2012, NNPC has not received any subsidy payments for petroleum products supplied to the domestic market”.
The NNPC boss while recalling that N888.101 billion and N971.138 billion was appropriated for subsidy for the year 2012 and 2013, respectively, noted that the amounts were grossly inadequate to meet the required subsidy payments to both NNPC and other marketers.
But the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi argued that out of the missing $10.8 billion oil revenue, some amount ought to be remitted to the Federation Account.
The Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Ahmed Markafi, against the backdrop of Sanusi’s claim, said that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, would appear before the committee next week Thursday to give legal insight into what amount belongs to the Federation Account.
He said: “We also heard from the CBN that they are questioning part of the $10.8billion. They believe that part of it should belong to the Federation Account but they are not technically competent at this stage to state how much it is.
“We have agreed to see how we will engage technical experts to determine which part of the amount, if any, belongs to the Federation Account”.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi,Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.