Anti-corruption crusade: Buhari‘ll not disappoint, Magu assures

Mr Ibrahim  Magu, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC), declared in Abuja on Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari would not disappoint in the fight against corruption.

Magu gave the assurance while fielding questions from newsmen on the sideline of a preparatory meeting towards 2018 African Union (AU) conference.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting focused on Nigeria’s role as the champion of the 2018 AU theme, “Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.

African leaders had unanimously mandated the Nigerian leader to champion the fight against corruption in the continent, during the 29th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Magu said that Buhari had demonstrated commendable political will in the fight against the menace, adding that his feat in that war earned him the trust to be chosen by African leaders to champion the cause.

“The fact that this meeting is taking place is an indication that there is an effective political will to fight corruption.

“That the President has been identified as a leader and champion of anti-corruption crusade in Africa only attests to the success of Nigeria’s fight against corruption.

“The recognition has emboldened our fight against corruption; it is encouraging. For the whole world to recognise our President as an anti-corruption champion is something to be happy about.

“You and I know that he (President) is fully committed to this fight. His will to fight against corruption is strong. There is no doubt about that,” he said.

Magu said that the commission would not disappoint the rest of the world, “especially after Nigeria was recognised and given the mandate to lead the fight”.

“Corruption is the enemy of development in the world. African is saying that corruption is the worst enemy of the continent. We want everyone to join this crusade by exposing every corrupt tendency.”

Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Thomas Quartey, who also spoke with newsmen, tasked the media to play a critical role in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Quartey emphasised the need for transparency in governance, saying that the attribute was crucial to success in the fight against corruption. (NAN)

Secret Corporate Ownership’ A Global Problem – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has described secret corporate ownership as a global problem and bane of development in resource-rich countries like Nigeria.

Osinbajo said this at the Beneficial Ownership Conference of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday.

The vice president’s speech was made available to newsmen in Abuja.

He cited a 2014 report by the One Campaign entitled, “One Trillion Dollar Scandal’’, which showed that developing countries loose one trillion dollars annually to corporate transgressions.

According to the vice president, most of the funds are traceable to the activities of companies with secret ownership.

“Another report that may enjoy mention here is the 2015 report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

“The panel stated in its report that Africa had lost more than one trillion dollars over a 50-year period, and that Africa loses more than 50 billion dollars annually to illicit financial flows.

“Most of these illicit flows are perpetrated in the extractive sector and through companies with hidden ownerships.’’

Osinbajo said Nigeria was still struggling with the negative impact of the use of corporate ownership secrecy by senior government officials and their cronies to corner juicy contracts in the extractive industry.

He specifically mentioned the celebrated Malabu scandal of the 1990s, which he said remained the subject of criminal and civil proceedings in many parts of the world.

According to him, the court cases involved huge legal costs, while the full benefit of the natural resource remains unexploited for the benefit of the people of Nigeria to which it belongs.

“So, for us in the developing world and especially in Africa, breaking the wall of secret corporate ownership is an existential matter.

“It is for us literarily a matter of life and death. Masked or Hidden corporate ownership is deeply implicated in the sad story of our underdevelopment.

“Yes, we know that anonymous companies are not always illegal or are not always designed to harm.

“But we also know that secrecy provides a convenient cover for the criminal and the corrupt. And we are not just operating from the theoretical or hypothetical standpoint,’’ he said.

The vice president said that the problem was a global one driven by an inter-connected world where the foothold of anonymous companies does not respect the developed/developing divide.

He said although the degree of exposure may differ, everyone in today’s world was at risk of the dangers posed by anonymous corporate ownership.

“If nothing else, the Panama Papers clearly illustrated the global scale and spread of this problem.

“So, this is a global challenge and nothing less than a truly global approach will be needed to tackle it.’’

Osinbajo commended the United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands and Denmark for setting the pace in the establishment of public registers of the real, human owners of companies in their countries.

He, therefore, called on other G8 and G20 countries to follow suit by initiating actions to end corporate secrecy at home and their dependencies.

“Open Ownership and its partners must also be commended for establishing a global register of beneficial ownership with entries on about two million companies.

“However, we must note that legislative measures in the mentioned countries may need to go farther to effectively discourage or totally prohibit non-disclosure agreements by governments with big corporate, and to re-evaluate the use of secret trusts to hide beneficial ownership from the prying eyes of the law.

“It is important to underscore the fact that opacity in one section of the globe undermines openness in the other.

“We need to break down this wall together as we are all at risk of the evil effects of opacity in business ownership.’’(NAN)

W/Bank Releases N30m To Kaduna School With 22,000 Pupils

The World Bank has ordered the immediate release of N30 million to improve teaching and learning facilities at a UBE Primary School with 22, 2400 pupils in Rigasa, a suburb of Kaduna.

A representative of the bank, Dr Olatunde Adekola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the intervention was for immediate upgrade of facilities at the school.

He said the high number of pupils had increased pressure on both teaching and learning facilities in the school, which has 70 teachers.

NAN reports that Adekola had led a task team for midterm review of the N6 billion granted the state under the bank’s Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The bank is spending N20 billion under GPE to support girl-child education in five states, of the Northwest, where all indexes on education appeared to be very low compared to other regions.

The target was to increase reading and writing skills for pupils in nursery and those in primary one to three, and strengthen community activism and local governance.

It also aimed at expanding access to education through community initiatives and to increase the number of qualified female teachers in areas with high gender disparities.

Other states benefiting from the partnership, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK Department for International Development (DFID), include Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and Sokoto.

Meanwhile, the project Coordinator for Kaduna State, Aburu Musa said over 3,400 primary schools have benefited from the programme.

According to him, a total of 8,050 primary school girls from poor homes had received N45, 000 scholarship grants to continue with their education, with 1, 170 female teachers also getting similar amount to further their studies.

Meanwhile, the state government said its school feeding program and the GPE scholarship had resulted to the soaring of school enrolment from 1.1 million to 2.1 million pupils in the state.

According to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, current enrolment ratio stands at 51 boys and 49 girls in schools in the state.

The State Government had recently signed into law the Bill on School Based Management Committee, to allow community participation in the running of schools.(NAN)

Economy To Lose N150bn Daily To PENGASSAN, NUPENG Proposed strike – LCCI

 

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), has warned that the economy would lose an estimated N150 billion daily, if the proposed strike by PENGASSAN and NUPENG is not averted.

The Director-General of LCCI, Mr Muda Yusuf, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

Yusuf said that it would not be a good development for an economy that was just emerging from recession.

NAN recalls that the two unions had threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over delay in the payment of N800 billion subsidy arrears to oil marketers.

Yusuf urged the Federal Government to engage the unions and propose a credible payment plan to settle the arrears.

He noted that the consequences of the proposed strike would be severe because of the strategic and critical nature of the oil and gas sector.

“It would paralyse the chain of logistics in the economy as economic activities are driven largely by road transportation, both for commuting and freight.

“It will impact on revenue as the upstream sector would be affected as well. It would impact the power sector which is largely powered by gas,“he said.

The LCCI boss noted that the fuel subsidy phenomenon had become a recurring distraction in the management of the country’s economy.

“It is regrettable that government has over the years got itself entangled in a problem which should not have arisen in the first place,“he said.

He alleged that the country’s economy had suffered serial scandals and monumental corruption in the oil and gas sector because of the phenomenon of petrol subsidy.

“We have consistently argued that the government should completely decouple itself from the business of importation, refining, transportation and retailing of petroleum products.

“This arrangement has created considerable distortions and stagnated private investment in the downstream sector because these are enterprises that the private sector is best suited to manage,“he said.

Yusuf said that government has no business fixing prices and subsidising the players.

He said that in spite of  the monumental problem  the economy had from the subsidy regime, government has not taken urgent steps to put an end to price fixing for PMS.

“The economy cannot sustain this arrangement. The current debt of N800 billion is 151 per cent of the total capital allocation for the Federal Ministry of Works, Power, and Housing in the 2017 budget.

“It is 1,568 per cent of the capital allocation to health; it is 305 per cent of the capital allocation to Federal Ministry of Transportation; and 1,600 per cent of the capital allocation to education.

“This raises vital questions about the optimality and efficiency of resource allocation and utilisation by government,” he said.

He called for speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), adding that it will help to normalise the oil and gas sector.

Yusuf urged the government to replicate the telecoms sector model in the oil and gas industry, adding that it would free resources for investment in critical infrastructures like power, roads, the railway, health and education sector.

He stressed that the model would improve product availability, eliminate fuel queues, and create more jobs for the teeming youth in the downstream oil sector. (NAN)

EFCC Officials Undergoing Trial For Corruption – Magu

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says some of its officials are currently being prosecuted for corruption in various courts across the country.

The Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, disclosed this at an interactive session with Editors in Abuja on Wednesday.

Magu, who did not immediately give the number of the affected officials, said he would not condone any act of corruption in the agency.

“Recently, we had to discharge about nine cadet officers because they have problem with their certificates from various institutions.

“We are also prosecuting a lot of officers. Some of them are already in court.

“There is a way you can help us. Just like you can help us with information regarding corrupt practices outside the EFCC, and proceeds of corruption, you can also assist in giving us the information.

“But, I assure you, I do not tolerate, I won’t condone any act of corruption in the EFCC.

“ I cannot be everywhere but I am telling you I don’t spare any allegation no matter how little, we make sure we investigate.

“No allegation against the EFCC personnel is left uninvestigated. Even if there is allegation against me, we will refer it to the appropriate authority to investigate.’’

The EFCC boss said that the ongoing anti-corruption war was getting tougher, saying the fight had never been this tough in the several years he had spent in the battle.

He reiterated his call for concerted efforts by all stakeholders, especially the media,  in the fight.

`Nobody will claim ownership, nobody has a better knowledge than the other person, nobody has a monopoly of knowledge in the fight against corruption.“We need everybody on board now that the fight against corruption is getting tougher. I have been in this business for a very long time; it has never been this tough like now.

“Some of us feel that it is our generation that caused corruption. So, we have a responsibility to clear the debt.

“Please don’t get tired because it is about Nigeria, it is not about individuals. All of us have a responsibility to God Almighty to fight corruption.

“Let us double our efforts. From the way we are going, they have already failed. It is almost half won, but we must sustain the momentum.’’(NAN)

FG, State Governments Collaborate On Ease Of Doing Business

State governments on Thursday restated their commitment to initiate and implement Doing Business reforms that will positively impact on businesses and stand them out among their peers in the World Bank sub-national rankings. This commitment was made in Abuja at the kick-off mission for the Sub-National Doing Business (SNDB) in Nigeria project organised by the World Bank and the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES).

Opening statements to the workshop were made by the Honourable Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, who is Chair of the Nigerian Economic Council (NEC) Implementation Monitoring Committee, through a representative; and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Aminu Bisalla.

Welcoming participants to the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, thanked state governments for their willingness to drive the sub-national rankings project. She noted that some states are already implementing reforms, but a lot more could be achieved by applying best practices like efficiency, transparency and performance management. According to Dr. Oduwole, “the key barometer on whether the various reforms are working will be the testimonials of small and medium business owners across the country.”

The workshop had commissioners of trade and commerce, budget and national planning, heads of investment agencies and other focal persons from nearly 20 states in attendance.

A Reform Leader at the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES), Mrs. Toyin Bashir,  stated that Doing Business reforms at the state level “will lead to job creation, as MSMEs currently make up 90% of registered businesses in Nigeria; better living standards; and increased foreign direct investments at a time when the country is grappling with a decline in oil prices.”

Bashir explained that removing bottlenecks around the 11 indicators on which states are to be ranked will provide relief for business owners and signal to the world that Nigeria is open for business.

“The 11 indicators affect firms throughout their life cycles. ‘Starting a Business’ and ‘Regulatory Environment’ affect firms at startup phase; ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘Growth & Productivity’ affect firms in their daily operations; while ‘Registering Property’, ‘Access to land and property’ and ‘Dealing with Construction permits’ affect the firms when trying to get a location,” Bashir said. Furthermore, she explained that “‘Enforcing Contracts’ is a relevant indicator for when things go wrong, while ‘Transparency and accessibility to information’ is crucial at all phases of the business.”

The World Bank Doing Business Country Adviser for Nigeria, Ms. Cemile Hacibeyoglu, listed some common features of successful reformers. Sharing best practice experiences from countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Rwanda and Korea, she said “high-level leadership and ownership of the reform agenda, long term vision with clear objectives, inclusive reform process, detailed goals, private sector commitment and effective communication” are essential for a successful reform process.

In an interactive panel session, three states shared experiences on ongoing reform efforts and challenges – Kaduna State represented by the Commissioner of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Dr. Manzo Maigari; Sokoto State by Commissioner of Commerce, Mr. A. Aminu; and the Special Adviser to the Governor of the State of Osun on Public Service Productivity, Mr. Ademola Adeyinka.

The World Bank sub-national rankings of Nigerian states is expected to be released in 2018. It will be the fourth in the series, with the most recent conducted in 2014. The Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) have both committed to supporting the state governments by facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing workshops among the states as they implement their priority reforms..

It will be recalled that at the July 2017 National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, had made a presentation seeking the buy-in of governors for the sub-national rankings. The project was unanimously endorsed by the governors at the meeting.

NNPC, India Seek Deeper Collaboration on Medicare

As part of efforts to jump-start its diversification into the health care business, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has requested a deeper collaboration with India in the area of expertise and state-of-the-art medical equipment to revitalize its 52 clinics across the country.

The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who made this proposition on Thursday in Abuja when he received the Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency Nagabushana Reddy, said such cooperation would reduce the trend of medical tourism from Nigeria to various countries.

The GMD said the Corporation was already discussing with some Indian health care providers to come into the country and help grow the capacities of its medical staff with the aim of putting in place world class health care facilities in-country.

NNPC GMD urged the High Commissioner to encourage Indian oil and gas companies to participate in the forthcoming marginal fields bid round, adding that their participation would further deepen the bilateral relations between Nigeria and India.

Dr. Baru noted that there existed a symbiotic commercial relationship between the Nigeria and India which has led to the increase of daily crude oil supply to India to 30,000 barrels per day in 2017.

“We recognize that India is one of the highest off-takers of Nigeria’s crude oil and we are ready to ensure that this harmonious economic relationship is sustained going forward,” Dr. Baru averred.

On his part, Mr. Reddy, said India and Nigeria had very high bilateral relations adding that India was ready to further expand the diverse collaboration in economic, trade, commerce and security.

He stated that India was one of the highest importers of Nigeria’s crude oil and applauded the NNPC for keeping to the terms of the contracts with three of its indigenous companies, stressing that the visit was to further consolidate the gains of previous engagements.

APC Chieftain, Balarabe Musa Lambast Jonathan Over Claim Of Buoyant Economic Policy

Jonathan had, at the Non-Elective National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Abuja on Saturday, said his government had a sound economic team.
On the economic front, he said his government provided focused leadership through institutional reforms which he said impacted positively on the fundamentals for growth, especially in the last four years of his time in power.
But Eneukwu, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, accused the former President of throwing the country into a mess.
He said, “Even a blind man in Nigeria knows that (Goodluck) Jonathan threw this country into a mess. Billions and billions of naira are being refunded and found in private houses. Is the money not being refunded by people who served under Jonathan?
“The man shouldn’t talk, he should bury his head in shame; his administration is almost the worst I can think of. He never checked people who worked under him; it was free-for-all corruption.”
Also commenting on Jonathan’s statement, Balarabe Musa, said past presidents, including Goodluck Jonathan, played on Nigerians’ short memories.
Describing Jonathan’s handling of the economy as worse, Balarabe said, “Of course, Nigerians have short memories. What is our attitude to all the former presidents, particularly as to how they handled our economy?
“We seem not to have realised that they did less than the present. They are now heroes in a way. They are almost now gloating and trying to decide the fate of the country.
“The ex-President is not only to blame for our failures, his own was even worse. In the present, we have seen competence in a few things, but in his own (Jonathan) case, he showed competence in nothing. He allowed corruption to fester during his own time. But we are not sure if the present administration is not doing worse. This is because the state of the economy can only be reasonably determined by the state of the people.”
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress has asked the Peoples Democratic Party to forget its idea of returning to power in 2019.
It alleged that the damage caused the country by the PDP when it was in power for 16 years was enough testimony of its alleged ineptitude.
The PDP had said during its Non-Elective National Convention that it was ready to take over the government at the centre in 2019.
Different members of the party who spoke at the event asked members of the former ruling party to get set to return to power in 2019.
But the spokesperson for the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, told our correspondent that the PDP was merely dreaming.
He said while there was nothing wrong in dreaming, it was wrong for the PDP leaders to think that Nigerians would trust them with power again.
He said what “Nigerians are thinking now is restructuring,” which he said, was not the focus of the PDP.
Abdullahi, who was a former minister of sports, said, “The PDP will not come back to power in 2019. For me, it is a mere expression of a wish, which will not come to pass.
“They are talking about what they wish and not what is on ground. The biggest issue now that Nigerians want is restructuring of the country. The PDP does not think that way.
“Does the PDP, which was in power for 16 years, have anything like that in its manifesto, the answer is no. So, the party should forget it.”
When reminded that something close to it was in the report of the 2014 Constitutional Conference which the present APC government had refused to implement, Abdullahi said the last administration was also not ready for the implementation.
“What did that government do with the report which was submitted to it about a year before the election? Nothing. So, how can they be talking about restructuring,” he asked.

#ResumeOrResign; Leave Buhari Alone, He Violated No Law, Says Senate

The Senate has cautioned the sponsors and participants in the protests by a coalition of civil society organizations,  operating under the aegis of #OurMumuDonDo, and demanding for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over his medical vacation in the United Kingdom to stop heating up the polity with their unreasonable demands.

In a statement signed by its spokesman, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said the protesters were only creating unnecessary tension in the country and seeking to divert the attention of the Presidency from the economic and security issues which are being tackled with vigour.

The Senate noted that President Buhari had complied with the provisions of the nation’s grundnorm, the Constitution, which stipulated that he must handover to the Vice President and duly inform the two chambers of the legislature about his medical vacation.

“The President has broken no law and therefore we do not see any justification for this diversion and noise making. The sponsors are merely seeking cheap publicity at the expense of the peace of Nigeria. We, in the National Assembly,  are satisfied that there is no vacuum. The Federal Government is working. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is providing the required leadership. So, there is no reason for the protests.

“All Nigerians now should focus on praying for the safe return of the President. We in the Senate are happy about the report by the Governors and party leaders who recently visited President Buhari in London and we know he will soon return to continue to provide leadership to our people and the rest of Africa.

“We therefore call on the protesters to stop all these demonstrations and let their sense of patriotism overshadow the zeal for activism by joining other Nigerians to pray for the President, the acting President and Nigeria as a country at this critical period”, Abdullahi stated.