@Gbengabig

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Court Orders DSS To Unseall APC Data Center

Justice Mohammed Yenusa of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday restraining the Department of State Services ( DSS ) from further sealing off the data office of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) or taking further steps in connection with the property.

Justice Yunusa also order the DSS to produce the five employees of the party, who were arrested by the security agency during the raid in court on friday to explain to the court why they are still being held in custody.

The judge gave the interim orders while ruling on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the APC through it counsel, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday.

It will be recalled that a combined team of the State Security Service operatives and naval police officers raided the data centre of the APC in Ikeja, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday.

The operatives ransacked the centre and carted away the servers, routers, hard drives from personal computers and the work stations.

The 24 staff on the night shift and another one from her residence were arrested.

But the Department of State Security (DSS) denied the allegation, stating instead that it raided the premises following a petition it received about some activities of the company.

A text message by the spokesperson of the DSS, Ms. Marilyn Ogar on Sunday, said the petition alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s permanent voter’s cards were being cloned at the outfit.

According to Ogar, the petition alleged that the “cloning” of the cards was with the intention of hacking into INEC’s data base, corrupting it and replacing them with the “cloned” data.

EFCC Arraigns 77 Year Old Businesswoman, Others For N65m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a 77 year-old businesswoman, Alhaja Mulikat Shonekan and two others before an Lagos High Court in Ikeja for allegedly defrauding a company, Kuta Stones Limited of N65 million.

The septgenerian was arraigned by the commission alongside Martins Ogiogwa and her company Mujekanm Petroleum Nig Coy Ltd on a five count charge of stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.

According to the EFCC the defendants on September 2008 fraudulently obtain the sum of N65million from Kuta Stones under the pretence of purchasing 90 acres of land located at Kemta Osun village in Odeda local government area of Abeokuta, Ogun State for the company.

The anti-graft agency also alleged that the defendant collected the money from one of the directors of Kuta Stones Ltd, Mr Danladi Verheijen for the purchase but failed to deliver the property to the company three years after.

Alhaja Shonekan was also alleged to have issued a dud GTBank cheque of N5million through her company as repayment for the alleged N65million she collected from the company.

The offences according to the EFCC are punishable under Sections 390 of the criminal code laws of Lagos State and sections 1(1) of the dishonoured cheque offences act, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, a development which made Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye to granted Alhaja Shonekan bail in the sum of N5million with two sureties in like sum.

According to the judge one of the sureties must be a blood relation resident in Lagos with a three years tax clearance.

The court also granted the second defendant bail in the sum of N10million with two sureties, one of whom must be his blood relation.

Justice Ipaye further ordered that the septgenerian be remanded in EFCC custody while the second defenant be remanded in prisons custody.

The matter was adjourned till January 23, 2015 for trial.

N247m Fraud: Court Refuses AGF Application To Withdraw Charge Against Traders

An application filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke asking a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to stop the trial of five former employees of the Lagos Trade Fair Complex accused of stealing was yesterday refused by the court.

The trial judge, Justice Kudirat Jose in a ruling on the application held that Section 211 (a) of the 1999 Constitution is very clear on the matter and that It is only the Lagos State Attorney-General and not the AGF that can enter a nolle proseque with respect to this suit.

It will be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Bassey Eyamba, Francis Dajilak, Lazarus Okocha, Barnabas Kolo and Eunice Okafor before the court for stealing N247 million belonging to their employer.

The commission had accused the defendants of fraudulently obtained various sums of money belonging to their employer by renting and selling some plots of land owned by the complex.

According to the anti-graft agency the alleged offence is contrary and punishable under Sections 390 (6) and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

At the last sitting of the court the AGF, through its counsel, D.E. Kaswe, had filed a nolle proseque (notice of discontinuance of trial) before the court.

Kaswe, who insisted that the AGF is making the demand in the exercise of his powers in accordance with Section 174 of the Constitution, therefore urged the court to discontinue the case.

However, the application was opposed by the EFCC counsel, Anslem Ozioko, who argued that the AGF had no power to discontinue a case filed under state laws.

In her ruling on Wednesday Justice Jose agreed with the anti-graft agency holding that the powers of the AGF and the AG of a state were distinctly spelt out in the Constitution.

" The EFCC has the fiat of Lagos State Attorney General to prosecute this matter and that fiat has not been withdrawn.”

"This application is hereby dismissed," the court held.

The trial has been adjourned till February 16, 2015 for continuation of trial.

SERAP asks ICPC to investigate alleged stealing of N224 million by local councils in Lagos

A civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr Ekpo Nta to “urgently and transparently investigate allegations of corruption in Lagos State Councils and to bring to justice suspected perpetrators.”

The petition followed a government audit of 57 local councils in Lagos State, which allegedly indicted eight councils of stealing and mismanaging at least N224 millions of public funds on a range of questionable expenditures and unimplemented contracts.

In the petition dated 24th November 2014, and signed by SERAP Senior Staff Counsel Olukayode Majekodunmi, the group expressed “serious concern about the content of 2012 government audit report and the inability of the government to fully and effectively address the issues raised by the report.”

“This situation can only continue to exacerbate the increasing level of violation of the citizens’ internationally recognized economic and social rights including the right to adequate food, to quality education, to water, and to accessible and adequate health services,” the group stated.

The group also said that, “Large-scale corruption such as the one mentioned above exposes majority of the citizens to a “double jeopardy”- on the one hand these people are subjected to hardship of immense proportion; while they are also denied the freedom to explore, on the basis of free enterprise, novel and legitimate ways towards individual development and prosperity, the most convenient path out of absolute poverty.”

According to the group, “The allegations also constitute grave breaches of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act 2000 and the UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified. Specifically, sections 16 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices Act would appeared to have been violated going by the clear contents of the audit report. The UN Convention against Corruption contains similar prohibitions, and imposes clear obligations on Nigeria to investigate allegations of corruption such as the present case; prosecute suspected perpetrators and ensure return of the proceeds of corruption.”

The group also urged Mr Nta to use his leadership position to ensure that the allegations are fully and transparently investigated, and that the findings of the investigation are made public.

According to the group, “the audit assessment reportedly accused the following Local Councils of wasting public funds: Agbado Oke –Odo, Surulere, Coker-Aguda, Egbe-Idimu, Eredo, Iba, Ikosi-Isheri and Lagos Island East. The report also established cases of corrupt practices and other cases of financial recklessness in Eti Osa, Mainland and Somolu and some other local councils failed to remit statutory deductions from contracts awarded to the tune of N40.9m.”

“In Surulere, auditors reportedly found that N17.5m as against the agreed N12.8m which was the 30 percent of the mobilization sum was paid to a contractor for the installation of a Colour Led Display solution screen at Masha Road, Lagos State Water Corporation Junction in the local government. Even so, the project has not taken off since February 2011 when the agreement was signed. The report also mentioned spurious expenditure totalling N1.3m was made by staff on behalf of the Local Council,” the group also said.

“At Egbe-Idimu LCDA, a total of N29.1m was unaccounted according to the audit report. The officials at Eredo LCDA also made unauthorized excess expenditure totalling N15m in 2012 just as 52 payment vouchers amounting to N30.2m and duly paid and posed in treasury cashbook were not produced for audit verification. The report also indicted officials of Iba LCDA for over payment of security allowance to the chairman to the tune of N2m in 2012,” the group added.

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

THIS IS JAW DROPPING SERIOUS. LAGOS SPENDS N2.3BN TO FUEL POLICE VEHICLES?

Lagos spends N2.3bn to fuel police vehiclesI can’t just believe it! The Lagos State Government has through the security trust fund spent N2.3 billion to fuel the police patrol vehicles and equipment since 2007. What the heck has the Federal Government being doing?

The finding was made by New Telegraph’s investigation. Seems to me, Lagos is running the police.

The investigation claimed that security expenditure in the state has hit about N12 billion in the last seven years while the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has provided 880 vehicles such as patrol vehicles, undercover cars, troop carriers since the inception of the trust fund.

LSSTF was established in 2007 to bridge the funding gap of kitting the security agencies and improving the welfare of the personnel owing to poor funding by the Federal Government, which is statutorily under obligation to cater for the security and law enforcement agencies.

According to the investigation, LSSTF’s contributions to the security agencies from 2007 till date, about 30 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), 244 motorcycles, 1,765 bulletproof vests and 6,320 uniforms were provided for the police and other security agencies.

The state government and private sector have expended about N12 billion on the provision of items, equipment and ammunition as well as maintenance of the patrol vehicles, marine boats and APCs.

The state government has expended over N7 billion through the provision of equipment and fuelling of the patrol vehicles well as maintenance of the vehicles including the APCs and marine boats, while the private sector and individuals have also contributed over N4 billion to the trust fund to enhance the security of lives and property.

This, according to many security experts, is responsible for relative peace and tranquillity in the state despite the continuous influx of different people into the state.

From 2007 till date, about N2,309,409,781 was expended on fuelling of vehicles and marine boats donated to security formations such as OP MESA, Rapid Respond Squad (RRS), Command & Control Centre and the Police Command. According to the document, the LSTTF also contributed N311, 324,043 to the renovation and building of Command and Control Centre, Bode Thomas Police Station, Area ‘C’ police command building and RRS Command Headquarters.

It was also gathered that N66,873,000 was spent by the trust fund in renovating the communication mast antennae of the State Security Service (SSS), MOPOL 49 and police command offices, to enhance communication and forestall likely security breaches in the state.

US Announces Visa Application Changes In Nigeria

For Nigerians planning to travel to the United States, the visa application process has changed, an official said on Tuesday.

Stacie R. Hankins, the Consular Chief at the American Embassy in Nigeria who addressed journalists simultaneously at a briefing in Abuja and Lagos said a new passport collection centre has opened in Port Harcourt.

“The US Mission is pleased to announce that as of 8 November, our document collection and distribution partners with DHL expanded to include a new location in Port Harcourt,” Hankins said.

As it is the case with DHL locations in Lagos and Abuja, visa applicants with approved applications can now collect their passports with their visas from the DHL collection centre in Port Harcourt.

“Applicants will have the option of selecting any one of the three sites as their pickup location when they complete their online application,” Hankins said.

Similarly, she said, applicants who qualify for the drop box renewal programme can submit their passports and applications to the Port Harcourt DHL collection centre.

However, processing time for the collection centre in Port Harcourt will take an additional day.

Passports are generally available for pick up from the Abuja collection centre in two days. In Port Harcourt, it will take three days, she said.

Non-immigrant visa applicants were also reminded that when making an interview appointment, they must include the correct confirmation number from their DS-160 online application form as part of the required information.

“Beginning December 1, those applicants who fail to comply with these instructions will not be allowed to interviews. We believe this change will make application processing faster and more efficient,” said Hankins who has been serving as the Consular Chief in Abuja since August this year.

She said the embassy approved majority of visa applications made by Nigerians in the last two years.

Hankins also stated that 65 per cent of non-immigrant visa applications received last year were approved.

“Between October 1, 2012, and September 30, 2013, the embassy in Abuja and Consulate in Lagos received more than 182,000 non-immigrant visa apolications, the majority of which were approved.

Between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014, we received more than 220,000 applications. Again, the majority of those applications were approved,” she said.

An official at the US Consulate in Lagos disclosed at the briefing that last year 15500 immigrant applications were received and 14900 were approved.

Hankins dismissed long held insinuations that the American Government uses a quota system to grant or deny visas to Nigerians, saying simply that there is nothing like quota.

She said visas are granted or denied based on Section 214B Immigration and Nationality Act.

For non-immigrant visas, she said, applicants must prove that they have enough funding to support themselves in the United States and would voluntarily return at the end of their stay.

In the event of a visa refusal, it is advised an applicant re-applies 90 days after except there have been substantial changes in their circumstances, she said.

“We hope that Nigerians’desire to visit our beautiful country will continue to grow, and we look forward to working its our partners to allow qualified tourists and business travellers to do so,” Hankins said.

CBN devalues Naira by N13, fixes N168 to dollar

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja devalued the Naira by N13. CBN says the move is part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s economy.

CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, disclosed the devaluation to newsmen after a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
Emefiele explained that under the new arrangement, the Naira would now exchange for N168 instead of the old official rate of N155 to one US dollar.

He said the meeting also decided to increase the Monetary Policy Rate by 100 basis point from 12 per cent to 13 per cent.

The MPR is the rate at which banks borrow from the CBN to cover their
immediate cash shortfalls.

The higher the cost of such borrowing, the higher the rate at which banks advance credit to customers.

Emefiele noted that there was an increase in Cash Reserve Ratio on private sector deposits by 500 basis point from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

The CRR is a monetary tool used to either call up excess liquidity or release funds needed for the growth of the economy as situation demands.

He added that the public sector CRR would be retained at the current level of 75 per cent and the symmetric corridor of plus or minus 200 basis points around the MPR will be maintained.

“The public sector should be retained at 75 per cent and foreign exchange trading position should also be retained at one per cent,’’ Emefiele said.

The CBN governor explained that the decision to lower the value of the Naira against the dollar was to strengthen the currency.