Nigeria Rudderless Under Buhari, Says Kukah [THE NATION]
- Bishop faults govt on security at funeral of slain Seminarian
Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese Mathew Hassan Kukah has criticized the security situation under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He also accused the President of reneging on his promise to be even-handed and to end insecurity in the country.
The cleric alleged that the government is favouring Muslims and indulging in “divisive policies that would put our country to the brink”.
Rev. Kukah, who has been a fierce critic of the Buhari Administration made the remarks in his homily during the funeral for slain Seminarian Michael Nnadi.
He said with the killing of Seminarian Nnadi after those of several priests, it is safe to say that Christians in the north are marked men and women today. “Yet, we must be ready to be washed in the blood of the lamb.”
Bishop Kukah lamented that “Nigeria’s years of hypocrisy, duplicity, fabricated integrity, false piety, empty morality, fraud and Pharisaism” have caught up with with Nigerians, adding that, the country is at the crossroads, with its future hanging precariously in balance.
Kukah who recalled their painful moment of negotiation with the kidnappers of the four young seminarians and the killing of Nnadi, noted that Christians in the north had for long become targets of killings by terrorists under the garb of Islam.
The Bishop while apparently reacting to the recent statement credited to President Buhari that, 90 per cent of Boko Haram victims were Muslims, queried: “If your son steals from me, do you solve the problem by saying he also steals from you”?
According to him, “The persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria is as old as the modern Nigerian state. We are being told that this situation has nothing to do with religion. Really? It is what happens when politicians use religion to extend the frontiers of their ambition and power.
“Are we to believe that simply because Boko Haram kills Muslims too, they wear no religious garb? Are we to deny the evidence before us, of kidnappers separating Muslims from infidels or compelling Christians to convert or die?
“Their (Christians) experiences and fears of northern, Islamic domination are documented in the Willink Commission Report way back in 1956. It was also the reason they formed a political platform called, the Non-Muslim League.
“All of us must confess in all honesty that in the years that have passed, the northern Muslim elite has not developed a moral basis for adequate power sharing with their Christian co-regionalists.
“Our nation is like a ship stranded on the high seas, rudderless and with broken navigational aids. Today, our years of hypocrisy, duplicity, fabricated integrity, false piety, empty morality, fraud and Pharisaism have caught up with us. Nigeria is on the crossroads and its future hangs precariously in a balance.
“This is a wake-up call for us. As St. Paul reminds us; The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12).
It is time to confront and dispel the clouds of evil that hover over us.
“Nigeria is at a point where we must call for a verdict. There must be something that a man, nay, a nation should be ready to die for. Sadly, or even tragically, today, Nigeria, does not possess that set of goals or values for which any sane citizen is prepared to die for her. Perhaps, I should correct myself and say that the average office holder is ready to die to protect his office but not for the nation that has given him or her that office.
“The Yoruba say that if it takes you 25 years to practice madness, how much time would you have to put it into real life? We have practiced madness for too long. Our attempt to build a nation has become like the agony of Sisyphus who angered the gods and had to endure the frustration of rolling a stone up the mountain. Each time he got near the top, the gods would tip the stone back and he would go back to start all over again.
“What has befallen our nation? Nigeria needs to pause for a moment and think. No one more than the President of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari who was voted for in 2015 on the grounds of his own promises to rout Boko Haram and place the country on an even keel.
“In an address at the prestigious Policy Think Tank, Chatham House in London, just before the elections, Major General Buhari told his audience: ‘I, as a retired General and a former Head of State, have always known about our soldiers. They are capable and they are well-trained, patriotic, brave and always ready to do their duty. If I’m elected President, the world will have no reason to worry about Nigeria. Nigeria will return to its stabilizsing role in West Africa. We will pay sufficient attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service. We will develop adequate and modern arms and ammunition. We will improve intelligence gathering and border patrols to choke Boko Haram’s financial and equipment channels. We will be tough on terrorism and tough on its root causes by initiating a comprehensive economic development and promoting infrastructural development…we will always act on time and not allow problems to irresponsibly fester. And I, Muhammadu Buhari, will always lead from the front.”
“There is no need to make any further comments on this claim. No one in that hall or anywhere in Nigeria doubted the President who ran his campaign on a tank supposedly full of the fuel of integrity and moral probity. No one could have imagined that in winning the Presidency, General Buhari would operate on “divisive policies that would push our country to the brink”.
“Today, in Nigeria, the noble religion of Islam has convulsed. It has become associated with some of worst fears among our people. Muslim scholars, traditional rulers and intellectuals have continued to cry out helplessly, asking for their religion and region to be freed from this chokehold. This is because, in all of this, neither Islam nor the North can identify any real benefits from these years that have been consumed by the locusts that this government has unleashed on our country.
The remains of Seminarian Michael Nnadi was however laid to rest around 1:30pm on Tuesday, at the premises of Good Shepherd Seminary, amidst tears and anguish.
Amotekun: How Outfit Will Operate In Southwest States [SUN]
– Bill spells out operational guidelines – Oyo, Ekiti, Osun assemblies get draft legislation
DETAILS of the operational guideline of the Southwest security outfit, Operation Amotekun, has emerged.
According to the draft bill for the security outfit which is before state legislatures, obtained by The Nation, a governing board with sweeping powers will oversee the security outfit in each of the states.
But the day-to-day activity will be run by the Amotekun corps commander, to be appointed by the governor.
It is a uniform bill that will be passed by each of the six states of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti legislatures.
The Operation Amotekun in each of the states will work as separate entities unlike the planned regional structure.
However, they will collaborate with one another, sharing intelligence and meeting quarterly or as decided, to secure the region.
A section of the bill states that the commander “will hold meeting with the counterpart in other states in the region on a quarterly basis or as may be collectively determined by the corps commander in those states.
The bill adds that the functions of the security agency include collaborating with and assisting the Police and other security network agencies in gathering information about crime and maintaining law and order.
It shall also have powers of arrest and prosecution of persons suspected or involved in kidnapping, terrorism, cattle rustling, cultism, highway robbery and other criminal activities.
Its day and night patrol will cover all major roads, remote areas, hinterland, forests and inland waterways in the region.
The Amotekun Corps shall have the power to bear licensed arms subject to the approval of the inspector general of Police.
The bill also states that Operation Amotekun shall have power to identify, arrest and register offenders, but such suspects must be “promptly handed over to the nearest police station or post.”
They will also be empowered to disarm unauthorised persons in possession of arms and other dangerous weapons.
Section 19 of the bill stated that all Nigerians with integrity, irrespective of their ethnic group, are eligible to join Amotekun, provided they are without criminal record and are endorsed by local authorities.
The bill also provides for the establishment of an Independent Corps ComplaInts Board comprised of three members, including a chairman who should be a retired judge or magistrate.
The board shall have power to investigate complaints against the operations of the security outfit.
The funding of the security outfit shall be through subvention from the state governments, gifts and donations from individuals and corporate bodies and any other money or property, which may in any way became payable to or vested in the agency.
PDP Protests At UN, EU, French Embassies [SUN]
- Borno killings: Buhari has abandoned Nigerians –Party
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, staged a protest at the United Nations (UN) office, European Union (EU) and French embassies in Abuja over state of affairs in Nigeria.
The PDP in separate petitions submitted to the international bodies accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led and urged them international community to prevail on the Nigerian government to persevere the country’s democratic institutions and allow votes to count in elections.
The PDP hinged its call on reports of election observation missions in recent elections, which had been negative, stating there was urgent need for electoral reforms.
PDP Deputy National Chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif, who led the protest, alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government was intimidating the judiciary and legislators making it impossible for democracy to thrive.
Nazif, in an interview with journalist, said the PDP was unhappy with the way the country was being administered adding that the party was unrelenting in its request for a review and reversal of the Supreme Court judgment on the Imo governorship contest.
“We have come here to complain because we have realised that the National Assembly is being intimidated by the executive. The judiciary is being arm twisted, the rule of law has become a mockery. Because they no longer listen to anybody, that is why the PDP decided to reach out to the international community to lay complaint with respect to the Electoral Act that has not been assented to five years since the inception of this administration.
“You are aware of the systematic collapse in our electoral processes; the way elections are being conducted. In Kogi, we saw what transpired in the last election; Nigerians have seen for themselves what the opposition party is going through. We saw what happened in Bayelsa, we saw what happened in Imo with respect to the Supreme Court judgement. We are calling for a review of that judgment and we believe that with the amount of pressure from intentional organisations, the right thing should be done.”
PDP National Secretary, Umar Tsauri also alleged that democratic values had been eroded by President Buhari and the APC.
Fayemi Approves 6 Months Maternity Leave For Workers [SUN]
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has approved six months (180 days) maternity leave for female workers in the state public service.
This is in line with the administration’s determination to key into global best practices that will improve the quality of lives of the citizens.
The new policy, which takes effect from February 1, 2020 is aimed at improving maternal health and encourage nursing mothers to observe the six months exclusive breast feeding campaign of the United Nations Intervention Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
The six months exclusive breast feeding campaign is aimed at reducing, to the barest minimum, infant and maternal mortality rate as well as facilitate work life balance for female workers.
Ekiti State Government continues to show strong political will towards ensuring gender inclusiveness. This policy is one of many other frameworks in place aimed at promoting the rights of women and children.
FG Targeting June For Oil, Gas Sector Fiscal Landscape Policy –Kyari [SUN]
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari, said that Nigeria’s oil/gas industry would have a clear fiscal landscape for operators to be able to plan beginning June 2020.
Kyari made this known at a breakout session for Chief Executive officers in the industry at the on- going Nigeria International Petroleum summit in Abuja, Tuesday.
He spoke on ” Investment to achieve economic sustainability.” The NNPC boss said that the need for a new fiscal framework work has become imperative as operators would be willing to embrace changing laws.
Kyari said that Nigeria’s drive towards transiting to renewable and green energy would be frustrated by the epileptic power situation in the country hence the need to invest on service improvement. He argued that discussions around encouraging the use of renewable energy should also focus on providing alternatives to addressing the epileptic power situation in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We have to resolve the issue of electricity so that we can talk about the renewables in the future; so that we can reduce the use of fossil fuels that has high impact on the environment.
“However, we believe that with time, there would be less consumption of fossil fuels. “For us here, as a country, what we need to do is to transit into getting power to our homes, to our industries, to take advantage of the enormous gas resources that we have in this country.
“Over 200 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, which everybody knows; but we know that in the books, there are potentials for additional 600 trillion and growing.
“This is an asset that we have and which we can rely on to build and develop this country. To take gas to the export market, and particularly, to develop our domestic market,” he said
Why Nigeria Air Hasn’t Flown – Sirika [SUN]
Despite repeated assurances from the Federal Government of the takeoff of Nigeria Air in 2019, Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika on Tuesday said there are internal issues that need to be sorted before the dream national carrier can fly.
The national carrier and the logo were unveiled amid shoddy arrangements at the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom in July 2018, with December of that year set as a possible take-off target.
However, the Aviation Minister, who spoke at the 7th Aviation Workers’ Week in Abuja, titled ‘Contributions of the National Carrier to the Socio-economic Development of Nigeria’, has revealed that the project has not been jettisoned despite media reports that suggest otherwise.
Sirika, who was represented by a Director at the Ministry, Mohammed Shehu, said: “The national carrier will be online any moment from now, and it will contribute a lot. It is the dream of every Nigerian because of its economic advantage.
“It is a revenue-generating industry and we hope that when the national carrier starts, it is going to be wonderful and Nigeria will be fully represented globally, as it will create job opportunities in the country and beyond,” he noted.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mr Hassan Musa, said collaborative efforts were in place to ensure the success of the project given its socio-economic importance to Nigeria.
He added that the zeal of the Minister and the economic revival agenda of the Buhari administration were sufficient stimulants to ensure the national carrier takes off.
“The concept of this noble dream is well thought out while a phased execution of this resuscitation has reached advanced stages of fruition in the nearest future,” he said.
APC Crisis: Obaseki, Oshiomhole Bicker Over Bomb Attack At Party Secretary’s Residence [SUN]
Residence of the Secretary of Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Lawrence Okah, has been attacked with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Benin.
The impact of the explosion damaged part of the building and created a crater in the compound, even as second device failed to explode.
The attack which was carried out on Monday, is coming barely 10 days after similar attack was carried out on the residence of a chieftain of the party, Fransis Inegbeneki in Benin.
Reacting to the incident yesterday, Okah pointedly accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of plotting to kill him over second term ambition.
Conducting journalists round his residence, Okah disclosed that gunmen had last Tuesday fired shots at his bedroom, alleging that Governor Obaseki had earlier threatened him and has carried out the threat with the attacks.
“On Tuesday, last week, I heard gunshots. They shot at my bedroom. The police came and picked 52 bullets here.
“Yesterday, at about 12:30, I heard a noise like bomb. I called my security and they said it sounded like a bomb. The one they threw at my bedroom did not detonate. If that one has detonated, I will not be talking to you now.
“That was targeted to my room. If it had exploded, it would have been a different story. I just want to advise Mr. Governor. He has threatened me before and he has carried out the threat.
“By the grace of God we are alive to speak to our people to let them know what is going on. We pray to God for those we help not to turn around against us. If by the grace of God, I am one of those that helped this government to be and the governor has turned now to be my enemy.”
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who was present at Okah’s residence with other top APC stalwarts, said Governor Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu must not kill to get second term, threatening to arrest the perpetrators if the police failed to arrest them.
In his response, Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said the state chapter of the APC was peaceful until the EPM and its enablers commenced their nefarious activities across the state.
“We are quite flustered that Oshiomhole has not been able to rein in his people in the face of the reconstitution of the APC National Reconciliation Committee, tasked to restore lasting peace in the party both in the state and across the country. We are committed to peace and would do right by continually supporting all credible means to arrive at a lasting peace in the state. At the same time, we want to state clearly that Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and their cohorts are the common denominators of political violence in Edo State.
“On October 19, 2014, this same Ize-Iyamu announced that his house along Dennis Osadebey Way, GRA, Benin, where his wife carries out her dental practice, was bombed and at that time, he pointedly stated that Oshiomhole, who was then governor of the state, was responsible for the attack.
“From that time till now, there has been a cessation of the use of explosives and other dangerous weapons in causing mayhem and heating up the political space in the state.
“It is therefore rather curious that with the same Ize-Iyamu coming back into the political space in the last three months, extreme political violence has resurfaced with bombs going off in parts of the state and gunmen attacking politically-exposed persons.
“We have stated before that the EPM, under the sponsorship of Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu and others, having lost out of the political power-play in the state and failed repeatedly in their inordinate quest to seize power from Obaseki through undemocratic means, have now resorted to violence to create a sense of a breakdown of law and order with the intent of forcing the declaration of a state of emergency in the state,” he said.
Buhari Has Promoted Tribalism, Religion In Military, Others – Kukah [PUNCH]
The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday hit the President, Major General Mohammed Buhari (retd.), hard.
The cleric assessed the Buhari regime and concluded the President had not only relegated the national interest to the background, but he had also introduced nepotism to the military.
He said under Buhari, it was important for any Nigerian to be a northern Muslim before he could hold any strategic position.
Kukah stated this in his sermon at the Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaukau in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State before the burial of Michael Nnadi, a seminarian, who was killed by kidnappers.
He recalled Buhari’s promise during the 2015 electioneering. He stated that while campaigning in 2015, Buhari said if he was elected, the world would not have to worry about insecurity in Nigeria.
Kukah said five years after, the President had brought nepotism and clannishness into the military and the ancillary security agencies.
Buhari’s regime marked by divisive policies – Kukah
He stated that the Buhari’s regime had been marked by supremacist and divisive policies that pushed the country to the brink.
Quoting the President, Kukah said Buhari at Chatham House in London before 2015 elections, said, “I (Buhari) as a retired general and a former Head of State have always known about our soldiers. They are capable and they are well trained, patriotic, brave and always ready to do their duty. If I am elected President, the world will have no reason to worry about Nigeria. Nigeria will return to its stabilizing role in West Africa.
“We will pay sufficient attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service. We will develop adequate and modern arms and ammunition. We will improve intelligence gathering and border patrols to choke Boko Haram’s financial and equipment channels. We will be tough on terrorism and tough on its root causes by initiating a comprehensive economic development and promoting infrastructural development…we will always act on time and not allow problems to irresponsibly fester. And I, Muhammadu Buhari, will always lead from the front.”
Kukah, however, noted that the reverse was the case as the President continued to wallow in insensitivity and despotism.
Buhari has brought nepotism into military, says Kukah
The cleric stated, “No one in that hall or anywhere in Nigeria doubted the President who ran his campaign on a tank supposedly full of the fuel of integrity and moral probity. No one could have imagined that in winning the Presidency, General Buhari would bring nepotism and clannishness into the military and the ancillary security agencies, that his government would be marked by supremacist and divisive policies that would push our country to the brink.
Buhari has subordinated Nigeria’s interests to his religion’s interest – Kukah
“This President has displayed the greatest degree of insensitivity in managing our country’s rich diversity. He has subordinated the larger interests of the country to the hegemonic interests of his co-religionists and clansmen and women.
To hold strategic position, under Buhari, it’s important you’re northern Muslim – Kukah
“The impression created now is that to hold a key and strategic position in Nigeria today, it is more important to be a northern Muslim than a Nigerian.”
He said the nation was at a crossroads and its future hung precariously in the balance.
Kukah stated, “Our nation is like a ship stranded on the high seas, rudderless and with broken navigational aids. Today, our years of hypocrisy, duplicity, fabricated integrity, false piety, empty morality, fraud and Pharisaism have caught up with us. Nigeria is at a crossroads and its future hangs precariously in the balance. This is a wakeup call for us.”
Says Nigeria, not worth dying for
The cleric said with the current situation, Nigeria was not worth dying for. He stated, “Nigeria is at a point where we must call for a verdict. There must be something that a man, nay, a nation should be ready to die for.
“Sadly, or even tragically, today, Nigeria, does not possess that set of goals or values for which any sane citizen is prepared to die for her. Perhaps, I should correct myself and say that the average office holder is ready to die to protect his office but not for the nation that has given him or her that office.
“The Yoruba say that if it takes you 25 years to practise madness, how much time would you have to put it into real life? We have practised madness for too long.”
Buhari has run most nepotistic and narcissistic government in Nigeria
He added that Buhari remained the only President in the history of the country that had run the “most nepotistic and narcissistic government in known history.”
Kukah said, “Today, in Nigeria, the noble religion of Islam has convulsed. It has become associated with some of worst fears among our people. Muslim scholars, traditional rulers and intellectuals have continued to cry out helplessly, asking for their religion and region to be freed from this chokehold. This is because, in all of this, neither Islam nor the North can identify any real benefits from these years that have been consumed by the locusts that this government has unleashed on our country.
“The Fulani, his innocent kinsmen, have become the subject of opprobrium, ridicule, defamation, calumny and obloquy. His North has become one large graveyard, a valley of dry bones, the nastiest and the most brutish part of our dear country.
“Why have the gods rejected this offering? Despite running the most nepotistic and narcissistic government in known history, there are no answers to the millions of young children on the streets in northern Nigeria, the north still has the worst indices of poverty, insecurity, stunting, squalor and destitution.”
Kukah said the persecution of Christians in the North was as old as the modern Nigerian state.
He stated that Nigerians had been told that insecurity in the country had nothing to do with religion. He asked, “Really? It is what happens when politicians use religion to extend the frontiers of their ambition and power.
“Are we to believe that simply because Boko Haram kills Muslims too, they wear no religious garb? Are we to deny the evidence before us, of kidnappers separating Muslims from infidels or compelling Christians to convert or die?
“If your son steals from me, do you solve the problem by saying he also steals from you? Again, the Sultan (of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar) got it right: let the northern political elite who have surrendered the space claim it back immediately.”
Beating Amotekun Officers Attracts N.25m Fine, Jail Term [PUNCH]
Assaulting an Amotekun officer will attract a fine of N250,000 or a prison term of one month or both.
However, an Amotekun officer cannot be sued for whatever he does in the course of duty but only what he does in his personal capacity.
This is according to the Ekiti State Security Network Agency Bill 2020 which has been submitted to the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
Other South-West governors have submitted similar bills to their respective houses of assembly.
Section 36 of the bill states, “Any person who wilfully hinders, delays, obstructs or assaults a member of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps in the course of the exercise of his lawful duties under this law shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of one month or to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand naira only (N250,000.00) or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
The bill further states that the security organisation must be headed by a retired law enforcement agent who is not lower than the rank of Major or its equivalent in any other security agency.
Section 14 reads in part, “There shall be appointed by the governor, a corps commander for the agency, who shall be a retired law enforcement officer or military officer not below the rank of a major or its equivalent in other security services.
“The corps commander shall be a person with at least 10 years cognate experience in security matters; (b) be responsible for the day-to-day running of the affairs of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps and implementation of the decisions of the board; (c) hold meetings with his counterparts in other states, particularly Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states on a quarterly basis or as may be collectively determined by the corps commanders in those dates.”
Minimum Wage: FG Suspends Salary Review [PUNCH]
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said the Federal Government will no longer review workers’ salaries as earlier promised.
The acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, had said through the Director of Communications in her office, Mrs Olawunmi Ogunmosunle, that the FG would ensure that all states complied with the salary adjustment (done in 2019) to the N30,000 new minimum wage first before the general wage review would take place.
But in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday, Ngige said wage review had been put on hold.
He said, “There was a presidential committee on wages and I said the issue of review of wages or any other thing is put on hold until we finish with the minimum wage and after that we will go to the consequential adjustment.”
Asked if the FG would still do the review this year, the minister said, “We are not doing any wage review now. Let us settle the issue of minimum wage and make sure that everybody pays.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress has condemned the burning of 30 people and vehicles by Boko Haram insurgent in Auno, Borno State, on Sunday.
2023: Nigerians Abroad May Vote As PMB Backs Diaspora Voting [LEADERSHIP]
President Muhammadu Buhari has raised the hope of Nigerians abroad to participate in the country’s future elections as he endorsed diaspora voting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday.
Buhari said that he had nothing against diaspora voting provided Nigerians were able to prevail on the National Assembly to amend the nation’s constitution to make provision for it.
The president stated this at a meeting with the executive committee members of the Nigerian Community in Ethiopia (NICE).
Buhari, in a statement issued by his senior special assistant on media, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that he was in support of diaspora voting, but noted that a law is required to achieve it.
In a response to a request by the NICE leader, David Omozuafoh, that Nigerians in the diaspora be given the opportunity to vote in future elections, Buhari said: I have said it severally that I am not against it. However, you will need to convince the National Assembly to amend the relevant laws to make diaspora voting a reality.
On the conduct of Nigerians living in abroad, the president expressed concern that some of their actions had not projected the country in good light and urged them to change their ways and obey the laws of their countries of residence.
Audit Report: Senate Threatens Indicted Heads Of MDAs [LEADERSHIP]
The Senate has threatened to recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari the removal of heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) indicted in the 2015 report of the auditor-general of the federation.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the National Assembly had for 16 years (1999-2015) refrained from taking drastic action on the audited reports on the financial transactions of the MDAs sent to it by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF).
But the 9th Senate said it had commenced investigation into the audited report of the MDAs in 2015, adding that the number of defaulting agencies was mindboggling.
The lawmakers insisted that all the officials indicted in the reports would either be charged to court or recommended to President Buhari to remove them from office.
The threat came yesterday from the chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Mathew Orhogide, during a public hearing on the 2015 audited report which was submitted to the red Chamber by the auditor-general of the federation. He said that the heads of the MDAs were invited to explain their 2015 spending which the audit report indicted of.
However, the heads of the agencies were not opportuned to speak during the public hearing following the suspension of plenary by the Senate in honour of Senator Ignatius Longjan of Plateau South Senatorial District, who died on Monday in Abuja. Orhogide said that the heads of the MDAs must appear tomorrow to defend themselves.
The invited MDAs are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), account-general of the federation (AGF), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), National Pension Commission (NPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Debt Management Office (DMO), and the head of service of the federation (HoSF).
Senator Orhogide, who acknowledged that since 1999 the Senate had not played its role of looking into the audited reports sent to it from the auditor-general’s office, lamented that it had been an ugly story about the audited accounts of the MDAs.
He said: “We have the audited report sent to the National Assembly by the auditor-general of the federation but the Senate has been unable to consider it.
“The committee called you here to explain your part on the queries raised in the audited report by the auditor-general which you did not reply. Even those that replied, we want to hear from them because after we are done with the 2015 report and issued certificates to you, we will go into the 2016 report and after which our findings and recommendations will be sent to the executive for appropriate action,” Orhogide said.
The senator, who said the committee’s investigation would be guided by the Procurement Act, Fiscal Responsibility Act, and the Financial Regulation Act, insisted they would recommend the sack of any head of agency found wanting.