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NEITI, CAC Set To Unmask Owners Of Oil Companies In Nigeria

Ola Akinola
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NEITI, CAC Set To Unmask Owners Of Oil Companies In Nigeria

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) have resolved to establish a joint coordination committee to identify, document and disclose the real owners of Nigeria’s oil, gas and mining assets.

The decisions were taken at a meeting between the management of the two agencies held in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by NEITI on Monday.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya, “The exclusion of information about our natural resources was at a huge cost to the Nigerian economy and affected Nigeria’s optimisation of revenues from its natural resource wealth.

Saying, with your cooperation and reputation, we can help our government fight the resource course which is the reason the EITI and NEITI exist.

“The knowledge reposed in the two agencies makes it important for us to work together to ensure that the commitment made by Nigeria to the international community on effective implementation of Beneficial Ownership in the extractive industry is realised.”

Also, the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, pledged CAC’s irrevocable commitment to partner with NEITI towards meeting the compliance standards set by the global EITI in beneficial ownership reporting.

“The CAC is already working on a comprehensive beneficial ownership register that will be a global standard.”

He,however, disclosed that since January 3, 2021, all companies registering to do business in Nigeria were required to disclose the identity of their real owners.

“This information became a requirement by the CAC for purposes of beneficial ownership information in public interest for anyone who needs it and at no cost to other government agencies.”

Immigration Service Shortlists 6,105 Candidates For Recruitment

Ola Akinola
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Immigration Service Shortlists 6,105 Candidates For Recruitment

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has shortlisted 6,105 candidates out of the 45,323 that applied to be enlisted in its 2019/2020 recruitment.

The spokesman of the ServiceMr James Sunday made this known on Monday in Abuja that further screening of those shortlisted would begin on May 24, 2021, at no cost to the applicants.

Sunday, however, advised applicants to check the NIS website for their recruitment status, examination location and other guidelines for recruitment.

He stated also that those shortlisted for the next screening should print their invitation slips preparatory to the exercise, adding that candidates without invitation slips would not be allowed to participate.The spokesman also advised possible aggrieved applicants to lay their complaints at: [email protected] or at the nearest ICPC or other anti-graft agency.

“Applicants whose names did not appear on the website should not go to any of the venues for the next screening,’’ Sunday warned.

Oil Spill Devastates Bayelsa Community

Ola Akinola
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Oil Spill Devastates Bayelsa Community

A fresh oil spill from facilities belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has devastated the environment of Egbebiri community in Biseni Clan of the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Newsfocusng gathered that the incident, happened on May 7, concurred from wellheads 5 and 11 operated by Agip.

Sources said the spewed crude oil had impacted trees, shrubs, grasses and terrestrial creatures.

Mr George ThankGod, the contact man for Agip in Biseni, however confirmed the incident and described it as “terrible”, saying it had polluted the environment.

He claimed that the oil spill was caused by equipment failure, said: “NAOC is the owner of this facility, Wells 5 and 11 where the spill happened on the 7th around 10:00pm till about 8:00am before they came and tried to stop it. And the level of damage is something terrible.

According to him; “When I came to site I met the military men on duty and I asked them what happened. They informed me that on that 7th (of May, 2021) the noise on the Well, the Christmas Tree was very high and they called the authorities (NAOC) and they came on that 7th May, to reduce the pressure of the well.

“After they left, at night they saw the spill incident and it was all over the place. And it continued until the following morning which is on the 8th of May, 2021. So I also, on my own called NAOC , that is Agip; that there is a spillage.”

He,therefore, called on the oil company, federal and state governments to come to the aid of Egbebiri as well as take steps for the remediation of the community’s environment.

He further said, “We have bush mango, we also have what we call bush rice all over. This is a forest where our people come to earn our living. We have snails and different animals too. But now, as I am saying, the environment is polluted.

“So, we need urgent response from NAOC. The spill occurred from Idu Well 11 and it was due to equipment failure.’’

IPOB Plotting To Attack Lagos- Lagos CP

Ola Akinola
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IPOB Plotting To Attack Lagos- Lagos CP

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has alerted Lagosians of an impending plot of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to attack soft targets in the state.

Odumosu, who delivered a paper on ‘Appraisal of Security Situation in Lagos State’, at an ongoing security meeting, said the threat by IPOB has been put on the radar of the Command intelligence gathering and other security services in the State.

He said the Command has also taken note of threats by agitators of Oodua Republic and other Yoruba separatist groups.

According to him, 24 of these groups have been identified and being closely monitored.

He added that strategies are being put in place to neutralise their activities.

He, therefore, asked all and sundry to be vigilant at all times and report any suspicious person or movement to security agencies.

“Let us adopt the slogan of ‘when you see something, say something’,” he said.

Another major security challenge being faced by the command, according to the CP, is the use of motorcycle as a means of transportation in the state.

“A combination of factors can be identified as being responsible for the advent of motorcycles as a means of intra-city transportation in Lagos State.

“Foremost amongst these, is the quest of the government to expand the land transportation system and provide employment opportunity to the citizens.

“This made the government to at the onset, grant approval for commercial motorcycle operations in the State with necessary legislation to regulate their activities.

“The government’s good intention of providing additional means of land transportation and creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, has
been negated by the atrocities being perpetrated by the Okada operators in the State. This include, the use of Okada as a veritable tool to commit crime and get away with it by hoodlums; disrespect to traffic rules and regulations; the Okada operators becoming nuisance and reckless on our roads, resulting into avoidable accidents with attendant consequences on human life,” he said.

The event was attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, security chiefs and members of the public.

If Buhari Can’t Deliver, He Should Be Impeached, Northern Elders Forum Spokesman

Ola Akinola
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If Buhari Can’t Deliver, He Should Be Impeached, Northern Elders Forum Spokesman

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has asked the National Assembly to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari if he is unable to secure Nigerians.

The president has come under intense pressure as a result of the rising insecurity in the country.

Speaking on Kakaaki, an AIT programme, on Monday, Baba-Ahmed charged those who have constitutional responsibility to realise that the country is in a dire state, and do something other than just talking and making promises.

According to him; “One option we have is that the legislators will look at the record of the administration, understand the areas where the president has failed, understand areas where there is clearly no evidence that they’re going to do anything about it and refer to the constitution that says the whole purpose of government is to secure citizens and pursue their welfare.”

“If Buhari fails to do that, for me, those are impeachable offences. In the last six months, two years, what has the president done to secure the country? Absolutely nothing has been done and yet you see increasing failure of the state to protect citizens,” he said.

“Or, as our democratic system provides, those with the responsibility to get them off, should impeach those who are failing. If the president can’t deliver, he should be impeached.

“We don’t have a national assembly that appears to have the levels of patriotism and concern beyond partisan politics to realise that when this roof falls, it also falls on their heads.

“Partisanship is so pronounced that the people we elected and sent to Abuja think they serve the president rather than the Nigerian people.”

According to Baba-Ahmed, the second option is for citizens to get together and decide to do something.

He said the third option is: “Those leaders who are failing will recognize the fact that they are the problem, and they will resign because they clearly have nothing to offer in terms of leadership.

Baba-Ahmed spoke few days after the presidency said some leaders were pushing for regime change.

I Have No Link with Terrorists, Bandits, Abdulsalami

Ola Akinola
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I Have No Link with Terrorists, Bandits, Abdulsalami

Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has said that he has no link with any terrorist or bandit group within or outside the country.

He made this “clarification in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna on Monday which was signed on his behalf by his Media Aide, Dr Yakubu Sulaiman.

The former Head of State described the claim of him having such link as “false unfounded and fake news”.

Apparently reacting to the arrest of a helicopter for supplying food and weapons to terrorists and bandits in parts of the country, which was said to belong to him in publications by some social media platforms, Abubakar said he did not own such a helicopter.

He disassociated himself from such “a heinous crime that is unbecoming of any patriotic citizen”, saying that he would have ignored such “spurious reports but had to set the record straight”.

“This kind of fake news has the potential of aggravating the already tensed security situation in the country and should not be condoned,” he said.

He, however, regretted that individuals could be so callous to peddle such news and smear the image and character of people, pointing out that: “I urge Nigerians to ignore such treacherous acts and be careful with the kind of information being dished out and shared on the social media.”

He further urged Nigerians to continue to work and pray for enduring peace in the country, because no nation can attain greatness without peace and security of lives and property of it’s citizenry

Wike Extends Curfew In 23 LGs Over Insecurity

Ebenezer Adurodija
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Wike Extends Curfew In 23 LGs Over Insecurity

Rivers State Governor , Nyesom Wike, has extended the night curfew across the 23 local government areas of the state from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., with effect from Tuesday, in order to stem dastardly attacks on security formations in the State.

The governor said the decision was taken in the wake of multiple armed ambushes on police checkpoints along the East-West road which resulted in the cold-blooded murder of seven police officers over the weekend.

Wike, in a state broadcast on Monday, said the State security council have reviewed the way and manner the recent attacks were executed and discovered that the perpetrators, who disguised themselves as security officers, moved in unhindered from Oyigbo to launch the attack.

The governor’s broadcast was relayed to newsmen in Port Harcourt by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, on Monday.

The statement reads in bits , “However, as a further step towards enhancing our collective safety, we have reviewed the existing nighttime curfew across the 23 Local Government Areas, which will now start from 7 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. until further notice from tomorrow 11th May 2021.

“The security agencies are hereby directed to note the new curfew time, ensure strict compliance and effectively deal with any person or group that violates or attempts to violate it.

“We have reviewed, and for the moment, declined the pressure on the State Government to activate our youth to defend the State from these terrorists because we don’t want to complicate our very delicate security situation by creating opportunities for some other monsters to emerge.”

Governor Wike, who consoled the families of the dead officers and the State’s Police Command for the irreparable loss, declared that the government and security agencies are determined to deploy everything at their disposal to advance the safety and security of lives and property in the State.

“We wish to assure every resident that we are not intimidated by the sporadic and cowardly attacks on predetermined security targets by faceless criminals on our soil; neither will we be cowed into succumbing to a baseless and doomed secessionists agenda,” the governor added.

Transport Minister Inaugurates Panel To Probe Ex-NPA Boss Hadiza Bala-Usman

Ekaette Ibuot
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Transport Minister Inaugurates Panel To Probe Ex-NPA Boss Hadiza Bala-Usman

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has inaugurated a seven-man panel to probe the suspended Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration ceremony, the Minister said that the panel is to examine and investigate the administrative policies and strategies adopted by the suspended Managing Director and to confirm her level of compliance with extant laws and rules from 2016 till date.

Amaechi, however, noted that the terms of reference of the panel include examining and investigating issues leading to the termination of pilotage and other contracts of NPA and confirm compliance with the terms of the respective contracts, court rulings and presidential directives.

“To also examine and investigate compliance with the communication channel as obtained in the Public Service, examine and investigate the procurement of contracts from 2016 to date,” he said.

The Minister asked the panel to come up with suggestions and advice that would strengthen the operations of NPA and forestall such occurrences in future, and any other matter that may be necessary in the course of the assignment.

The panel is chaired by the Director, Maritime Services Suleiman Auwalu with the following members;

Ben Omogo, Director, Organisation Design and Development, Co-Chairman.

Hussani Adamu, Director, Procurement

Blessing Azorbo, Director, Legal Services

Mercy Ilori, Director, Transport Planning Coordination

Muhly-deen Awwal, Director, Human Resources Management and

Gabriel Fan, Deputy Director, Legal Services, who serves as the secretary of the committee.

The panel also has three employees of Human Resources Management with the responsibility of serving as secretariat staff of the committee.

Bandits Break Into Katsina Mosque, Abduct ’ Over 40 Worshippers’

Ebenezer Adurodija
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Bandits Break Into Katsina Mosque, Abduct ’ Over 40 Worshippers’

Bandits in the early hours of Monday abducted over 40 worshippers observing midnight prayer (Tahajjud) at a mosque in Jibia Local Government Area of State.

The incident took place at Abattoir area of Jibia.

One of the officials of committee on IDPs in Jibia, who confirmed the unfortunate incident to our correspondent said the number of those abducted could be higher than 40.

He said around 7:30pm on Sunday, they had intelligence that the bandits were mobilising to attack Jibia, and they notified the security agents and local vigilante as well.

According to him; “Our focus was on Izala mosque at Tashar Huraira area, so we deployed our resources there, but unfortunately, they went to the mosque which is not that popular.

“One of the worshippers who escaped told us that they surrounded the mosque while prayers were in progress, went in, switched off the microphone with which the Imam was reciting Qur’an, and asked the worshippers to move out”.

He said Jibia had been targeted by the bandits as some captives once overheard them discussing about their plan of attacking the town.

When contacted the Police spokesman in Katsina, SP Gambo, confirmed the incident, saying the bandits who came in their numbers, surrounded the worshippers at a newly constructed mosque at the outskirt of Jibia.

“It is around Abattoir quarters, which is their notorious route into Jibia. They surrounded the worshippers and fired a shot into the air to scare them after which they abducted about 40 of them.”

“But a combined effort of the police, military, local vigilante and members of the community went after them and succeeded in rescuing about 30 of the victims.

“When we conducted a headcount this morning, about 10 are still missing, but we are not sure if they are actually with the bandits or they have ran to other places for their safety. But investigation is ongoing,” he said.

FG, Govs Discuss Revenue-sharing Model to End Financial Autonomy Dispute

Ebenezer Adurodija
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FG, Govs Discuss Revenue-sharing Model to End Financial Autonomy Dispute

In order to resolve the raging dispute over the full implementation of financial autonomy for state judiciaries and legislatures, the Federal Government and Governors of the 36 States of the Federation have agreed on a revenue-sharing formula.

If the agreement is accepted by judicial and parliamentary workers, who have been on a strike for over one month to press home their demands for financial autonomy for the two arms of government in the 36 states of the federation, funds from the Federation Account due to each state are to be jointly shared among the executive, legislature and judiciary in each state.

The new proposal, which was given to the leadership of both the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) at a conciliatory meeting last Thursday in Abuja, seeks to replicate the federal revenue-sharing structure in the states.

Newsfocusng gathered that under the new template, the governors will establish, within 45 days of the agreement, States Accounts Allocation Committee (SAAC) to share revenues among the executive, the judiciary and the legislature, the same way the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) shares revenue between the federal, states and local government councils.

The proposal also stipulates that the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) will invoke Executive Order 10 against any state that fails to abide by the terms of the agreement.

A presidency source revealed at the weekend that among the new offers made to the judiciary and legislative workers by the federal and state governments was a reassurance that state governors are committed to implementing full financial autonomy for the two arms of government.

“They also agreed that they will set up all the structures necessary for the implementation of the financial autonomy, including the budget committee where the judiciaries and state legislatures will forward their expenditure estimates. That will be based on the budget envelope of the projected annual revenue earning for the arms of government as is being done at the federal level,” he said.

The source, when the executive, judiciary and legislature prepare their annual budget estimates, they will forward them to the state House of Assembly for consideration and approvals.
“So when the revenue comes from the federal and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the State Fund Allocation Committee will now convene the State Accounts Allocations Committee (SAAC), which will now oversee the disbursement of money to different arms of government,” he stated.

He added that each state will ensure that it establishes Fund Allocation Committee for its legislature and judiciary to be headed by the head of the courts and the legislature.
“The two arms of government will also be expected to set up a tenders’ board to be headed by the court registrar and clerk of the state Houses Assembly,” he said.

He added that the same structure at the federal level would be transposed down to the states.
He said the same template used by the National Judicial Council (NJC) at the federal level would be adopted in disbursing funds to the judiciary in the states.

He said under the new arrangement, state Fund Allocation Committee would be headed by the state Commissioner for Finance.
Also, state Houses of Assembly will be allocated funds in the same manner that the National Assembly receives its allocation after the budget approval.

“So, if there is a breach on the part of the state government that will trigger off Executive Order 10, which empowers the Accountant-General of the Federation to remit funds directly to the state judicial and legislative arms of government. But if you are doing all that is provided in the proposed template, there will be no need to invoke the Executive Order,” he said.

The striking judicial and legislative workers had earlier vowed not to compromise on their demands for the implementation of 1999 Constitution as altered.

The workers said last week at a meeting with a federal government team, led by Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that the issue of financial autonomy for state legislatures and judiciaries was a constitutional provision that did not warrant any negotiation with governors.
JUSUN and PASAN had also insisted that the governors must fully implement financial autonomy for the two arms of government in the 36 states of the federation as guaranteed by the constitution before the strike would be called off.

The federal government had also pleaded with the unions to consider the efforts being made to resolve the dispute and suspend their strike to enable the court and legislatures to reopen.

Ngige had said last week that progress had been made in about 90 per cent of the issues in dispute.
However, the meeting between the federal government team and the leadership of the unions had ended with an agreement that the unions should go and study the government’s proposal before the next meeting, billed for tomorrow.

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