Diezani alone extended oil contract, says ex-NNPC GMD

Mrs.-Diezani-Alison-Madueke

Oniwon testifies before House probe panel on crude swap

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke unilaterally extended crude oil for refined products (oil swap) contracts, a former Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD) Austin Oniwon alleged yesterday.

Oniwon alleged that “the minister at the time extended the contract between the Petroleum Product Marketing Company  (PPMC) and its trading partners Duke Oil Company Incorporated and Trafigura Ltd, a non-resident trading company, without recourse to due process.

Stolen funds: EFCC has recovered billions, says Magu

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu yesterday said the agency has recovered billions of stolen funds.

He said the anti-corruption war is “the war of the people.”

He also said that  “apart from the fear of God, we have no other fear.”

Magu, who made the submissions in an address to a coalition of Civil Society Groups who marched to EFCC for a solidarity rally, said senior lawyers were frustrating the war against corruption.

He however said the days of impunity are over.

He said: “ We want the Nigerian people to continue to support us, continue to support Mr. President’s war on corruption.

“We have many corruption cases in court. We are getting them every day from everywhere and we are recovering stolen money and taking corrupt people to court.

“ The money we have recovered and the money we are going to get back from them -billions and billions of Naira- is being paid back to government and will be used to do what it was originally meant for -to build hospitals, send our children to school, build roads and railways, create employment and defend our country.

“ We have no other country than Nigeria. This war is the war of the people.

“ Apart from the fear of God, we have no other fear.  Apart from the interest of Nigeria, we have no other interest. And apart from the Rule of Law, we have no other rule guiding the work we are doing today.  The days of impunity are over.

Victory is certain for the common man! Aluta continua!”

Magu expressed regrets that some senior lawyers had been frustrating the war against corruption.

He added:  “One of the big challenges we have in the effective prosecution of the war on corruption, is that of very senior lawyers who Nigeria has been very kind to: They who went to good schools here, when Nigeria was good, many of them, on government scholarship; they who Nigeria has given so much opportunity.

“When we have corruption cases, cases of people who have stolen food from the mouths of our children; when we have cases of people who have stolen money meant to build hospitals and buy drugs; when we have cases of people who have stolen all the money meant to buy guns for our soldiers to fight Boko Haram, when we have all these cases of wicked people who have stolen Nigeria’s money, they run to these same senior lawyers, give them part of the stolen money and mobilise them to fight us, to delay us in court and to deny Nigerians of justice.

“ These are the people who do not want justice for the common man.

“ The other day, 34 Senior Advocates of Nigeria fought against only one small EFCC lawyer in court and he defeated all of them!  What we are doing today is not by our power, it is the power of the Nigerian people and the power of God behind us!”

The EFCC chairman debunked insinuations that the EFCC does not follow the rule of law.

He said: “ Corrupt people hire journalists to abuse us every day, they say we are not doing the work according to the law.  But, that is not true.

“There is no agency that follows the law more than EFCC.  None.  Before we arrest you, or seize your property or do anything to you, we check the law, we go to court and get court order.  That is why we are winning; that is why we are defeating them everyday.”

Senate to NERC: halt electricity tariff hike

The Senate yesterday told the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to stop the 45 per cent tariff increase being implemented by electricity distribution companies.

This followed a deadlock in discussions between the Senate leadership on the one hand and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and his counterpart in the Labour and Employment ministry, Dr. Chris Ngige.

The position of the Senate is however being contested by the two ministers who have accepted the increase.

It was gathered on Tuesday that the upper legislative chamber had asked the NERC to maintain the status quo, depending on the outcome of further deliberations with the ministers.

The motion to suspend the implementation of the new tariff was moved by Senator Suleiman Nazif (APC, Bauchi).

Court refuses to stop Olubadan’s installation

•The Olubadan-designate

The Oyo State High Court has refused to grant the interim order application by Seriki chiefs, seeking to stop the installation of a new Olubadan, pending the determination of a substantive suit.

The Seriki chiefs sued the Olubadan-in-Council for the emergence of a new Olubadan and for the appointments of some high chiefs.

The legal battle started in 2007 but was intensified after Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade died on January 19.

The chiefs’ lead counsel, Abideen Adeniran, urged the court to stop the highest traditional council in chieftaincy matters from installing a new monarch.

But Justice Mukhtar Abimbola, the Chief Judge, refused to grant their prayers, saying that if the monarch is installed illegally, the court reserves the right to remove him.

Even if the oba is installed illegally, he can still be removed by the court because it is not a perishable commodity,” he said.

Adeniran moved two motions, including granting an order of substituted service of all relevant processes on the wall of the office of Olubadan-in-Council.

He also prayed the court to make an interim order because “we are aware that the defendants have perfected the plan to tamper with the case”.

The court granted the motion on substituted service.

Before the arrival of Folorunso Lana, counsel to the Olubadan-in-council, Adeniran had engaged another lawyer, Oladepo Abiodun, who applied to the court for joinder.

He said: “My lord, the last time we were here in this court, my learned colleague said he just took over the case and that he needed to go through all the processes and your lordship allowed him.

“But, today they have not filed a single paper. It has been their ploy since we started this case in 2007. That is why I will be opposing this application for joinder.

“Only one person wants to join now but by the next adjourned date, another person will appear.

“If somebody purposely delays the court, the court cannot just keep on adjourning the case. If this is adjourned, another intervening application will be filed.”

Adeniran asked the court to expunge the name of the first defendant, the late Oba Odulana, from the suit through oral application.

But Lana opposed him, arguing that “they ought to have filed a motion striking out the names. We still have six names and without an application, they still remain”.

Before adjourning till today, Justice Abimbola said: “I will consolidate the cases so as to make progress.

“Chieftaincy issues are very simple. Don’t make a non-controversial issue appear controversial. I will raise four issues and then expect your written addresses. Let us remove the dead from the living.”

Jonathan’s camp, senators kick as Sheriff leads PDP

Party’s crisis deepens as governors, NWC okay ex-Borno helmsman

A MAJOR step to restore the strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – the choice of an acting national chairman –  was off the target yesterday.

The main opposition party sank deeper into crisis after a section of its leadership picked former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff for the top job.

Governors elected on the platform of the party and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) endorsed Sheriff’s candidacy for the job, which former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Nuhu Ribadu turned down.