Nigerian Government Abandons Ribadu Report; Wogu’s White Paper Committee Never Took Off

Nuhu Ribadu

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Federal Government of Nigeria may have technically dumped the report of the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu-led Committee on the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force Report after all.
Investigations by our reporter show that the White Paper Committee, which President Goodluck Jonathan on November 14 gave two weeks within which to submit its report exists only in name.  Not only has it not begun sitting, its members may have departed for the Christmas holiday to return in the second week of January.
The committee is headed by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.
Other members are the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro; Minister of State, FCT, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide; and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II: Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed.
A key member of the committee told our reporter in Abuja on Friday, that there was nothing on ground to suggest that there was anything to show that government was serious about the report.
The member said, “We have not met; there is nothing to suggest that we are going to meet and take any position on the matter.
“Going by the terms of reference, we ought to have submitted our report since end of November. But, you are aware that even the Federal Executive Council is on break and will not resume until second Wednesday of January 2013.
“Government knows what it is doing when it sets up the committee and it is the same government that is not asking us for any report.”
Efforts to speak with Wogu were not successful. When our reporter visited his house at Asokoro on Friday, one of guards said the minister had travelled outside the Federal Capital Territory on holidays.
It was further learnt that the minister left at about 9am for his home state, Abia, where he will be observing the Christmas break.
The Ribadu committee report, as submitted to President Jonathan, bitterly criticized the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation for various economic crimes against the nation.
It added that that oil majors such as Total, Eni and Shell made bumper profits from cut-price gas, while Nigerian oil ministers handed out licenses at will.
Though not illegal, the report however added that the action did not follow due process of using open bids.
Apart from that, the report added that international oil traders sometimes buy crude without any formal contracts, and the state oil firm had short-changed the Nigerian treasury of billions of Naira over the last 10 years by selling crude oil and gas to itself below market rates.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, subsequently indicated that the Ribadu report would be discarded when he said it had failed to accomplish the most critical duty assigned to it.
It has also since been discovered that Mr. Wogu, whom Mr. Jonathan assigned to head the White Paper Committee, is himself a beneficiary of a N2.7b oil subsidy fraud through his shady Pinnacle Contractors company.

Grace Amah Speaks On Life As A Single Mother – “I’ve not seen my baby daddy in a while”

Grace Amah “I have not seen the father of my child in a while. I live here (Nigeria) and he lives abroad (UK), though we talk on the phone often. I come from a very strict family so my parents were a little disappointed when I got pregnant because they were hoping I would get married first but you would have to agree with me that it’s not everybody that has to get married before having a child. It happened, and I wouldn’t because I have to get married first abort my child.

Being a single mother is not easy but I manage. How do I deal with my sexual feelings since he’s not here? That’s when the phone comes in. When I hear him, it’s all fine. It may not work for other people that way, but it works for me. And there’s no truth in the reports that my man is a married man. I don’t go for married men  and to the best of my knowledge he’s not married. – Says Nollywood star actress, Grace Amah in a recent interview.

Naijaurban

“Nkiru Sylvanus’ family disobeyed us and paid N8 million ransom to kidnappers” – Police

Mr. Adisa Bolanta, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, has revealed that the family of Nkiru Sylvanus, parted with the sum of N8 million, before the kidnappers released her yesterday.
Bolanta confirmed to newsmen today in Owerri, that despite repeated warnings from the police, they went ahead and negotiated with her abductors.
He said that the family of the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, eventually paid the sum. However, he added that the State Police, recovered N7 million and returned it to the family.
“We returned the money to the family, they defied our warnings and continued negotiations with the kidnappers,” he said. “They went behind us and paid N8 million to the kidnappers.”
He then reassured residents of Imo State, that the kidnaopopers, who are still at large, will be apprehended.
“We have made some arrests in connection with the case and very soon they will all be apprehended.
“Let me assure the good people of Imo that we will not rest until all forms of criminality has been eradicated from this state.”
 DailyPost

Nigeria launches Lagos-Kano train service

The Federal Government on Friday in Lagos inaugurated the Nigeria Railway Corporation’s Lagos-Kano intercity passenger train services and haulage of petroleum products.
The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, said at the event that the government was still committed to revamping the transport sector, particularly railway services, because of its importance to Nigeria’s economic development.
The revitalised Lagos-Kano intercity train services will complement the existing Lagos- Ilorin and Minna-Kano intercity train services.
Umar said: “This segment holds the key to the development of the economy of the nation from the commercial port city of Lagos to the commercial hub of northern Nigeria in Kano.
“ This is vital to the start-off of the transformation of the Nigerian economy.
Umar said that the Federal Government had also awarded contracts for feasibility studies to open up other railway routes.
He explained that the government was also rehabilitating the Eastern Railway Line from Port Harcourt –Maiduguri with spur lines from Kuru-Kafanchan –Kaduna and Kuru-Jos.
The Minister also said that government was repairing the Zaria-Gusau-Kauran Namoda Rail Line.
He added that the government was modernising the Project Phase I, Addendum 1, Abuja-Kaduna (Idu) Standard Gauge Rail Line (187km)
The minister further said that the government was repairing the existing 254km and completing the remaining 22km Standard Gauge Rail Line of the Central Rail Line from Ajaokuta-Warri with station buildings.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade, said that Lagos-Kano Route covered a stretch of 1,126km.
Sijuade said that the rehabilitation was much awaited, and hoped that train services on the route would improve Nigeria’s economy.
He said that NRC transported 450,000 litres of diesel on Friday from Lagos to Offa, through the route, to mark its inauguration.
“Today, we celebrate a successful completion of track and signalling rehabilitation of the Western Rail Line and the re-commencement of passenger and freight rail services on the Lagos-Kano corridor,’’ he said.
He hoped that the re-commencement of train services on the route would provide employment opportunities and enhance trade and commerce, as well as reduce accidents on the roads.
He urged the Federal Government to adequately fund the corporation for the maintenance and operation of the newly rehabilitated rail lines to ensure that the NRC did not relapse into dilapidation.
Naijaurban

CAF Awards Live From Accra Ghana- Yaya Toure Is "Africa Player of The Year"

Ivorian midfielder, Yaya Toure

By SR Sports

The year 2012 CAF Awards held today in Accra the capital of Ghana, it was attended by stakeholders in African football industry including the President of Nigerian football federation, Aminu Maigari.
There was no Nigerian amongst the winner of tonight's presentation; meanwhile Yaya Toure is a midfielder, who currently plays for the English side, Manchester City Football Cluband and the national team of Cote D'ivoire  won the award. He also won last year.
Yaya Toure was given the award based on his consistency both at home and at his club side
Below is the list of other winners of several categories CAF 2012 Awards.
-African Player of the Year is Yaya Toure of Cote Divoire
African Based player of the year: First - Mohamed aboutrika of Egypt Second -Stopila Tzunzu (Zambia) Third - Kalaba (Zambia)
-African club of the year is Al-Ahly Football club of Egypt
-CAF's African coach of the year: Coach Herve Renard of Zambia
-Most promising African Talent of the Year: Mohammed Saleh of Egypt
African Female Footballer of the Year: Winner is Genovova Anonma (Equatorial Guinea)
-Legendary Awards: Mahmoud El-Gohary The Egyptian Coach that passed on in September 2012
-Legendary Awards 2: Rigobert Song most capped African player of the year with over 100 CAPS for Cameroun
-African Referee of the year Jamel Alhamoni

One Year-Old Child Dies After Being Given ‘Anointed Oil’ By Prophet

Self styled prophet and prophetess who allegedly caused the death of a one-year-old baby after giving him a harmful concoction have been freed on $30 bail each.

Prophet Mutsvene Makaya (36) and his wife Prophetess Ndakaziva Mawire (39), on Tuesday appeared before magistrate Anita Tshuma facing culpable homicide charges. According to State Papers, the self styled Prophet Makaya and his wife Prophetess Mawire are married.
The court heard that the deceased child was taken to prophet Makaya and prophetess Mawire’s home by his parents for spiritual healing last month. It is alleged that the two ‘man and woman of God’ prepared a mixture of salt, lemon, vinegar, cooking oil and honey which they gave the child to drink.
According to State papers, the child’s health deteriorated and he was taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The minor, according to the medical report, died of asphyxia due to aspiration gastric contents. It was later discovered that the boy died as a result of taking the ‘anointed mixture’ which he was given by the prophet and prophetess.
Magistrate Tshuma released the ‘spiritual healers’ on US$30 bail each. As part of their bail conditions, they should report to police every Friday and desist from prescribing ‘anointed mixtures’ of any nature. The Prophet and Prophetess will be back in court on 31 December.
InformationNigeria.org

More than ever before in our history, Nigeria’s unity is questionable – Musdapher

Immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Dahiru Musdapher, has warned that the Boko Haram insurgency and other social upheavals are threatening the survival of the country.
Justice Musdapher was speaking at the second anniversary lecture and book presentation of National Mirror in Lagos on Thursday. He expressed worry about the scourge of terrorism overwhelming the security establishment and the disintegration of the nation’s moral fabric. According to him, “More than ever before in the history of Nigeria, the scourge of terrorism poses great challenges to the Nigerian state.
“Our slide into anarchy has assumed dangerous dimensions perhaps beyond the capacity of our security agencies to deal with the menace effectively… Boko Haram insurgency, political violence, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, indiscipline, abduction and kidnappings, armed robbery, murder and extortion, bombings of places of worship and innocent Nigerians are all indicators of a failing state.
“These social upheavals clearly threaten the survival of the Nigerian nation and we all have a duty to rise and stem the tide… Our capacity to investigate, arrest, prosecute and convict those found guilty of contravening our laws is evidently weak and compromised; yet no one is held responsible.
InformationNigeria.org