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Jonathan Orders NNPC To Refund $1.48bn …Visits Troops In Adamawa
President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the Nigerian National Petrolium Corporation (NNPC) to pay the controversial $1.485billion into the account of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for disbursment.
This was disclosed at the monthly FAAC meeting held yesterday in Abuja.
Meanwhile, the sum of N500.130 billion was shared among the three tiers of government for the month of January.
In a statement issued by the technical sub-committee of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), at the meeting, the amount shared represents a short fall of N80.248 billion from N580.378 billion shared in the previous month.
According to the committee, the reduction was due to drop. In crude oil prices from $77.53 million in November to $52.34 million in December, 2014.
Also, the drop was attributed to a 33 per cent decrease in export volume between November and December, 2014, which translated to a loss of $159.88 million.
Of the amount shared, state governments received the lion share of N30.689 billion, representing 50 per cent, while Federal Government and local government councils received 15 and 35 per cent, respectively.
It was stated that additional N4.419 billion payment was made by NNPC with N6.330billion refund to Federal Government purse.
Additionally, the sum of N776 million was also added to the shared money as residual balance, while N63.935 billion was added from Value Added Tax (VAT).
However, the Minister of State for Finance, Ambr. Bashir Yuguda debunked the rumour making rounds that Nigeria is broke, insisting that the economy is resilient and strong as evidenced in all the economic indices.
According to him, the domestic account of the country stands at $19 million, while the excess crude account is $2.60 million.
Bashir, who blamed the current economic challenges on devaluation of naira as occasioned by hostility in the oil market, assured that the situation will soon better as government has decided to cut down travel and expenses.
However, the House of Representatives has for the second time on Wednesday asked the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to submit the full version of the forensic audit report on the alleged missing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation $20billion to it.
The House gave the first directive on Thursday last week, following a motion moved by its Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.
On Wednesday (yesterday), the House again asked the minister for the report after Gbajabiamila complained that almost one week following the first resolution, Okonjo-Iweala had not responded.
He said, “Mr. Speaker (Emeka Ihedioha, presiding), we request the Clerk of the House to formally write the Minister to produce that report to every member of this House.
“She has not produced the report, irrespective of the standing resolution of this House. We want to have the full report, not the snippets that they have been flying about.”
The House endorsed his submission and directed the minister a second time to comply.
An auditing firm, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, had carried out the forensic investigation on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Solomon Olamilekan, told reporters shortly after the House rose that the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation only presented a “highly-condensed version” of the report to the public.
He recalled that in the condensed version, the NNPC was directed to remit a “minimum of $1.4billion into the Federation Account.”
The lawmaker said that, as the committee overseeing public accounts, PAC was duty-bound to ensure that the minister produced the report.
He ordered Okonjo-Iweala to submit the report not later than one week from Wednesday.
Olamilekan added, “The PAC, cognisant of the provisions of the Constitution (1999), and empowered by the resolution, hereby requests that the full report on the forensic audit by PWC, which must include the initial raft report, the executive summary, management /internal control letters, should be forwarded to the National Assembly not later than one week from today(Wednesday).”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has, in spite of the drop in its oil revenue and dwindling allocations to the three tiers of government, insisted that Nigeria is not broke.
“The country is not broke, we have been meeting our obligations despite the challenges we have had with oil revenue streams but we have been doing the best that we can to improve our revenue from the non-oil sector,” the Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, said.
Yuguda spoke with journalists after this month’s Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday night.
The minister who, put the excess crude account at about $2billion, also spoke briefly on the forensic audit report and the amount to be refunded by the NNPC to the federation account.
“I have engaged the minister of petroleum and we have discussed the time frame on the refund of that amount,” he said.
However, the All Progressives Congress Vice-Presidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the biggest problem facing Nigeria is corruption and not dwindling oil prices.
Osinbajo stated this in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Wednesday during the presentation of APC’s 2015 manifesto on Securing Nigeria’s Future.
He said, “Nigeria problem, as you know, is not lack of resources. The government of today has tried to give the impression that the problem of the country is that of falling oil prices, which is now below $50 per barrel.
“That is not true, that is not the problem. The problem is the corruption or the theft of resources.”
The former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, added that the Federal Government itself had confirmed that over 400,000 barrels of oil are stolen every day from Nigeria.
He put the value of the stolen oil at N3.1trillion a year.
Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, Sam Woka (middle) explaining a point during an inspection of the state monorail project at UTC station, last Wednesday. With him are General Manager, RSNC, Mr Celestine Ogolo (2nd left),a Director in the Ministry of Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim (left), and other dignitaries.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.